


The Cure

by LoveCorrah



Category: British Actor RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2018-11-01 11:42:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10921104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveCorrah/pseuds/LoveCorrah
Summary: After Tom has to take his sick niece to the pediatrician, he strikes up a fancy for the beautiful Doctor. The more he finds out about Olivia (Livi), the more he wants to know. How will he react when secrets about her past come to light?





	1. The Actor

**Author's Note:**

> All comments and criticisms are welcomed! I love feedback. Thank you for reading! <3C

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Full credit for the photos in my story goes to their creator!**

                                                 

 

          “Where in the world did this fog come from?” Livi said out loud, as she slowed her car’s speed. Since moving to London three months ago she had tried to get used to the weather, but this December’s cold wetness was absolutely chilling her to the bone. With one hand she carefully steered her red Volkswagen Golf down Whitechapel Road, and with the other she tightened her cream colored chunky knit scarf around her neck… today was absolutely freezing, and the heating didn’t exactly work very well in this cheap, used car.

           Her destination came into view… an enormous blue, glass building— The Royal London Hospital. Livi had been spending a lot of time at this hospital since arriving in London, so she could have glided into a spot in the parking garage with her eyes closed. She pulled her bright red woolen peacoat tightly around her body, grabbed her coffee and her bag, and made her way inside, smiling and greeting the people she met along the way. She truly loved going to her job everyday, never minding her long hours, or any of the other hazards that went along with her career choice.

             “Morning, Claire! What kind of appointments do we have on the schedule this morning?” She asked the bubbly, blonde nurse, as she entered the office. Not only was Claire Livi’s nurse, she had become a very good friend.  
          “Morning, Dr. Beckett… so far, we’ve got 3 sore throats, a possible case of pink eye, and a sprained ankle…”  
          “Well…That’s doable.” Livi grinned as she slipped out of her thick coat, revealing baby blue scrubs and a white and gold stethoscope curled around her neck.  
          “Mm-hmm.” Claire agreed. “So, what did you do this weekend, Doc?“  
          Livi tried to brush off the question. "Oh… I went to a party downtown… you know… at that club.”  
          "Um… _that_ club? _Righhht._ ” Claire could see right through her. “What did you really do?”  
          With an exasperated huff, Livi answered. “Fine… Saturday I worked the A&E clinic, and Sunday I binge-watched Netflix. Is that okay with you?”

           Claire giggled. “I admire you, Doc. You give your Saturdays to this hospital— _unpaid_ Saturdays I might add, to work in that clinic… but really, you’ve been here for three months. Isn’t it time you met some people? Got out of that flat and had some fun? Spent some time away from this hospital?”  
           Livi took her white lab coat off the hook on the wall, pulling a loose thread out of the navy embroidery that read ‘Dr. Olivia Beckett, Paediatrics.’ “For your information, Dr. Phil, I _love_ what I do… I don’t mind working Saturdays… so just get off my back, will you? Now, give me 10 minutes, and bring back my first patient, please.”  
           “You got it, Doc.” The blond nurse winked, before turning back to her computer screen.  
           Livi walked into her office, and closed the door behind her. She sat behind her dark wooden desk— at least, she _thought_ there was a desk beneath all that paperwork— and pulled her thermos of coffee and plastic baggie of weetabix cereal from her bag. “Mmm… breakfast of champions.” She rolled her eyes as she took a big swig of hot, strong, black coffee, and popped a couple pieces of the chocolate cereal into her mouth. She booted up her computer, and looked at the schedule… yup, 3 sore throats, pink eye, and a sprained ankle. _Let’s get this show on the road._  
           She saw her first two patients, both young boys, with a viral infection that had been going around at the same school. She gave them each a prescription for a cough syrup, and told them to take paracetamol for their fevers… basic stuff… and sent them on their way.  
           Olivia stood at the nurse’s station in the center of the examination rooms, filling out the last patient’s chart, and heard a very worried, deep, male voice coming down the hall.  
           “Yes, I gave her paracetamol last night and this morning, but her fever hasn’t broken yet…”

           She could tell that the man was distressed and nervous, as most people were when their children were sick. She glanced back to the dark blond-headed man, who carried a young girl in his arms. His face was pained and his eyes were narrowed, as he looked down on the girl. “It’s going to be alright, sweetheart.”

          Livi watched as Claire led the man and girl into an exam room, and after a few minutes, she came out and handed her the file.  
          “So, what’s going on?” She asked the nurse.  
          “High fever… won’t eat… headache.”  
          Livi nodded as she began to walk toward the exam room, before she heard Claire behind her. “Doc, you know who that is, right?”  
          “Um… no. Who?”  
          “That man… that’s _Tom Hiddleston_ … you know, the actor. I tried my best to keep my composure as I asked him questions.” Claire blushed.  
          “Ohhh… okay.” Livi didn’t know who Tom Hiddleston was. She didn’t have much time to go to movies, and she kinda kept to herself for the most part because she worked so much.  
           She knocked on the door, and peeked in. The man sat on the pink plastic covered bench with the small girl’s head in his lap. His blue eyes perked up with she entered the room.

           “Hello. I’m Dr. Beckett. It’s nice to meet you.” She extended her hand to the man, and he took her hand, reciprocating the greeting.  
           “Likewise, Dr. Beckett. I’m Tom.”  
           “Okay, Tom, so what do we have going on here? Is this your daughter?”  
           “Oh, um… no, no. This is Kate, my niece. My sister went out of town for three days and entrusted me with her daughter… she’s sick, and I’m a nervous wreck. I don’t know what to do! I can’t get her fever to break, and she won’t eat or drink. I’m… I’m… just worried!”  
           Livi nodded, and went to her knees before the sick girl. “It’ll be okay.” She smiled up at Tom, trying to calm him, before turning her attention to Kate. “Hi, sweetie. We’re going to help you feel better, okay?”  
           The small girl nodded.  
           “So your name is Kate? What a beautiful name. My middle name is Kate.”  
           The small girl smiled slightly at the doctor, who was now sitting on the floor in front of her.  
           “Should she get on the exam table? Would that help?” Tom asked.  
           “Oh, no… I can tell that she feels terrible. Let her stay where she is.”  
           Tom smiled warmly at the brunette doctor. Usually doctors weren’t this personable… _or_ this pretty.  
           “Okay, I’m going to look in your ears, first. Then, we’ll move on to your throat.” She looked into little Kate’s ears as she grimaced at the sight. “Has she been having trouble sleeping?” She asked, as she gazed up at Tom.  
           “Yes, I’d say so. She hardly slept at all last night.”  
           “Mmm-hmm… and how old is she?”  
           “She’s six. Is everything okay?”  
            Livi nodded her head. “She has acute otitis media.”  
           “Oh, no! Is that bad?” He asked.  
           “She’ll be fine! She’s got an ear infection. Her poor little ear is so red inside, and she has quite a bit of fluid trapped behind her eardrum. Everything else looks okay, and that explains all her symptoms. I’ll write her a prescription for an oral antibiotic, and some medicine to drop into that ear to help clear all the infection and fluid out. After the first couple of doses, she should feel much, much better. Keep giving her paracetamol to help control her fever.”  
            “Oh, thank goodness.” He rubbed Kate’s head lightly.  
            Livi continued. “Until then, make sure she’s getting _plenty_ of fluids…” She looked down to Kate. “Make your Uncle buy you some popsicles, okay? The strawberry ones are my favorite!” She winked at the small, blond girl, making her giggle slightly.  
            Livi sat down on her stool in the exam room, and began to write the prescriptions. “Okay, Mr. Hiddleston-”  
            “Please, call me Tom.”  
            “Okay… Tom.” She smiled at the man. “Here are the prescriptions. Get them filled quickly so she can get started on her meds. She’ll feel better very soon, I just know it.” Now that she could get a better look at Tom, she noticed that he was, indeed, very attractive. She watched his twinkling blue eyes behind his glasses as he spoke, now a little brighter because he knew his niece would be okay, and his huge, pearly white smile. She could see a navy sweater peeking out from beneath his wool coat, and he wore dark jeans, and grey suede boots.  
           “Thank you so much, Dr. Beckett… I feel much better now.” He grinned up at her as she handed him the slips of paper.  
           “I’m so glad. Please let me know if I can help in any way… and let me know if she doesn’t get any better in the next day or so.”  
           Tom nodded as he slipped the papers in his back pocket and helped Kate up. “Come on, little darling, let’s get you to the car.”  
           “Feel better, Kate!”  
           She heard a small English _“thank you”_ come from the little girl, and smiled at her sweet face, as the pair walked through the door, and out of Livi’s small part of the clinic.  
           “See, I told you!” Claire said as she took Kate’s chart from the doctor.  
           “Told me what?”  
           “That he was cute…”  
           Livi laughed. “ _Oh_. Yeah… just another patient.”  
           “Uh-huh… well, if I wasn’t married, I’d be flirting with that man.”  
           Livi shook her head and snickered. “Let’s be professional, here… You’re _so_ bad.”  
          “Mmm-hmm… I would be… with _him._ ” Claire winked.  
          “Ohhkayy… why don’t you stop daydreaming, and go get my next patient?”  
          After two more appointments, three walk-in patients, and spending way too much time adding their information to all their charts, Olivia traded her lab coat for her winter coat, and slowly climbed back into her car, feeling the affects of the long day in her sore feet. She sighed, and turned the car key, bringing the car to life… well, as much life as the poor car had left, anyway. Sometimes, the headlights didn’t exactly work as they should, which was the case tonight. She grumbled quietly, as she pulled to the curb in front of her building. The one bedroom flat she was renting wasn’t the most elegant place, but for the amount of time she was here, it worked just fine. It was actually nicer than some of the places she had seen, so she was thankful for that.  
          As she made it to the fourth floor of her building, she let her bags fall to the floor as she plopped down into her fluffy chair. She should be used to being on her feet a lot, but these long days still got to her sometimes. She kicked her shoes off, and stripped her scrubs from her body as she padded to the shower. She knew that would make her feel much better, and as she washed her medium-length brunette hair, she thought back through the day. Immediately, she thought of little Kate. She hoped the sweet girl felt better soon. And then… she thought of Kate’s _Uncle_. He was such a sweet guy, and she could really tell that he loved his niece very much. Her eyes drifted closed as she washed the rest of her body… he was so tall and handsome, even as his dark brows furrowed with worry.  
          Apparently, he was a celebrity. Livi didn’t know how big of a celebrity though, as she didn’t really keep with Hollywood. She was much too busy, and either worked, or slept. Claire sure seemed to like him. Livi giggled at the remembrance of her friend salivating over him earlier. _Hmm… she wondered what movies Mr. Celebrity had been in? Looks like an investigation on Netflix was in order!_ She hurried to get into her pj’s, which tonight consisted of an oversized Little Mermaid sleep shirt that she had picked up at Primark, and twisted her damp hair up into a topknot. She popped a pod of coffee into her Keurig, and grabbed a couple chocolate biscuits as she waited on her coffee to brew. She grabbed her mug of black coffee and her laptop, and headed to her sanctuary… her _bed._  
          She took a bite of one of her biscuits, flicked the crumbs off her fingers, and typed his name in the search box. _Tom Hiddleston._ Several different things came up, but she quickly got sucked into the addictive black hole that is Wallander. She got comfortable in her bed, and smiled widely as she first saw Tom on the screen. He looked very different then, and he played a sweet, young, sometimes sassy character named Magnus Martinsson. She giggled at his curly hair, and before she knew it, she had been up all night watching it. She repeated the next night with Thor and Unrelated, and the next with War Horse and Midnight in Paris, finally collapsing from sleepiness the fourth night after The Deep Blue Sea and The Avengers.

____________________________________

         The next morning, she woke and stretched as much as she could. It was Friday, and for that she was so glad. Maybe she’d be able to catch up on her sleep over the weekend. She promised herself no more movies with _Mr. Celebrity_ in them. He was much too distracting…and she was thankful that she’d never have to see him again. She didn’t usually share Claire’s tastes, especially in men, but she agreed with drooling over this one.  
         She showered, had some breakfast, and went to her closet to pick out her clothes for the day. Fridays were short, as they were only open half the day, so she opted for actual clothes underneath her lab coat instead of scrubs. Today she picked out a thin black sweater, tan skinny jeans, and tall, black riding boots. With a chunky statement necklace, a quick fingering through her wavy hair, and a smidge of makeup she was ready to go. She made it to the hospital in record time, and was greeted by a smiling Claire as she walked into the clinic.  
         “Morning, Doc!”  
         “Morning, Claire. What does this morning look like? Busy?”  
         “Not too bad… five appointments.”  
         Livi yawned. “That’s good.”  
         “Why are you so tired, Olivia?” The nurse looked at her with a knowing look on her face. “Have you been staying up late?”

         “Of course not… I’m not tired! I just haven’t completely woken up yet. I need my coffee.”  
         “Hmm… staying up late isn't like you." She gasped. "Have you been staying up late watching a certain someone on Netflix?”  
         Livi’s mouth dropped open as a vivid crimson blush spread across her cheeks. “Oh, come on, Claire. _No_!”  
         Claire giggled as she watched her friend hurry into her office, slamming the door once she was safely on the other side.  
             _______________________

             The day was going normally and Livi just had one more appointment left, and then she was off for the weekend… _she couldn’t wait._ Before she could go into the exam room, Claire stopped her. “You’ve got a phone call, doc.”  
             “Oh? Who is it?” She asked as she watched a wicked grin crop up on the nurse’s face, making her blue eyes sparkle wildly.  
             “It’s _Mr. Celebrity_.”  
             “ _No_!” Livi squeaked as her stomach lurched up into her throat. She dropped her voice to a whisper. “What the hell does he want?”  
             “How should I know? He didn’t ask for me, he asked for you!”  
             Livi tried to calm herself as her fingers wrapped around the handle of the clinic telephone. “Doctor Beckett.” She answered confidently, though inside she was anything but. _Confidence is key, Olivia._  
             “Doctor Beckett, hello, Tom Hiddleston here.” That deep, velvety voice quite literally dripped through the mouthpiece of that old phone, and landed in a puddle of sex right at her feet.  
             “Hello, Tom. What can I do for you? Is Kate not feeling better?”  
             “Oh, no, Kate is perfectly well, thank you! She’s gone back to my sister already. She began feeling better that very night. We went all over London looking for those strawberry popsicles you mentioned. She’s convinced that’s what made her well.” He laughed into the phone.  
             “Oh, well that’s great, those popsicles work wonders! So glad she’s better. Is there anything else I can help you with?” I twirled the once-white-but-now-cream-colored phone cord around my pointer finger.  
             “Yes, actually there is. I’ve had a bit of an accident.”  
             “An accident?”  
             He sighed. “Yes… you see, I began the second leg of Coriolanus at the Donmar last night… to make a long story short, a few minutes ago I was in my dressing room and I had bent over to grab my bag at the same time the door was opened, nipping me in the head.”  
            “Your… _head_?” I asked, unbelieving.  
            “Ehehe… yes, it seems I have a bit of a gash in my forehead.”  
            “Um… a _gash_? Why are you on the phone with me? Shouldn’t you be getting that checked out?”  
            “Well, yes, but I go on stage in a few short hours, and I don’t really have the time to visit A &E, and I can’t miss this performance. Do you think you could come by the Donmar and look at it for me? I may need a stitch… or two.”  
            “Tom… I’m a _pediatrician._ ”  
            He laughed. “I know that. How many children’s chins have you stitched?”  
            “Too many to count.”  
            “There, you see… same thing! I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t trust you.”  
            “Well…”  
            “You’d be doing me a tremendous favor, love.”  
            _Well, that’s just playing dirty._ “Fine… I have another appointment now, but I can be there in an hour or so.”  
            “I owe you one… really.”  
            I sighed. “Yes, you do. Where’s the Donmar?”  
            “ _Really?_ You don’t know where the Donmar is?” He asked with a hint of surprise in his voice.  
            “No, I don’t! I’ve only been here three months, and going to the theatre hasn’t exactly been at the top of my priority list.”  
            “Ouch, darling! You just stomped on my tender Shakespearean heart!” He hissed, making me laugh. “Earlham Street… It couldn’t be but maybe 10 miles from the hospital. Just come to the stage door down from the entrance.”  
             I breathed deeply, wondering if I was really agreeing to do this. “Okay. I’ll see you in an hour.”  
             “Can’t wait… oh, and by the way, Doctor Beckett, I’m bleeding _profusely_ , so please hurry.”  
             I giggled. “Oh, dear… I’ll try.”  
             With a “fantastic!” he hung up. He actually had a sense of humor when he wasn’t worried sick about his niece.  
             “Claire, hurry and bring back my next appointment! Apparently, I have a bleeding actor to go save…”


	2. A Stitch in Time

                                                             

           After Olivia’s last patient left, and she finished entering information into the little girl’s chart, she gathered her medical supplies and stuffed them in her brown, leather doctor’s bag. She smiled, as she thought of her little sister who gave her the bag as a gift when she graduated medical school. Livi know she had to have saved up for a very long time for such a lavish gift, so she took extra special care of it, and thought of her every time she used it. She missed her…

                                            

            “Claire, I’m out of here! Have a great weekend!” She waved goodbye to the nurse.  
            “Oh, no, _wait_! What did Mr. Celebrity want when he called?”  
            “Oh… he was just giving me an update on his niece.” She answered.  
            “Hmm… are you sure? Why are you grinning like that?”  
            “I’m sure! I’m just happy ‘cause it’s Friday! I’m not working this weekend, so I’m gonna catch up on some sleep… that makes me happy… and _that’s_ why I’m grinning.” Olivia winked at her nurse.  
           With an unbelieving nod, Claire let the Doctor pass. Olivia was glad she was in the clear when the clinic door slammed behind her… Claire always asked too many questions for her own good.  
           Finally Olivia found her way to the Donmar, and found a parking lot a block away. She enjoyed her walk to the warehouse, even though the weather was rather frigid. She just clutched her coat around herself, and tried not to trip over the cobblestone path. The stage door on the side of the building came into view, and so did the small crowd of people around it. As Olivia passed through the crowd, she heard the murmurs from the people… “ _Have you heard if Tom is coming out after the show tonight?_ ” and “ _I really have to pee, but I am not giving up my spot here, just in case we get to see him…_ ”  
           She raised her eyebrows and her hand, knocking lightly on the door. After a moment, the door cracked open and a brown eye peeked out.  
           “Can I help you?” The man asked.  
           “Um… I’m Dr. Beckett… here for… Tom.” Olivia said quietly as she lifted her Doctors bag and jiggled it in front of the man.  
           The door closed for a moment, which awkwardly left the group of people watching her intently. She could feel the gaze of one young woman, so she turned her head to smile slightly at her.  
          “Are you his girlfriend?”  
           “Hmm?” Olivia had heard the young woman, she was just shocked that she had been so outspoken. “ _Oh_! Oh, no… I’m just a doctor.”  
           “Is something wrong with him?” The young woman seemed genuinely concerned.  
           “Uhh… no… he’s fine.” She didn’t know how to answer that question.  
           “So… _why_ are you here?”  
           Livi bit her lip and looked back to the door wishfully. _Please door, open…_  
           The heavy black door opened again, and a large man stood there… she matched him with the brown eye that peeked out at her a moment ago. “Okay, come in.”  
           “Thank you…” _Really, he had no idea how glad she was that he opened the door at that exact moment._  
           “Tom’s in his dressing room in make-up… but I’ll take you to him.” The large man said, as he looked back on her.  
           “Okay, thanks….” Livi said lackadaisically as she looked around. She could hear people on stage practicing lines, and the clanging of metal against the hard floor. She had never been into theatre, but this was kinda interesting. The slight stage dust in the air almost twinkled with the lights…  
           The man stopped beside a door, and held his arm out motioning for Livi to enter. “He’s through there.”  
           She nodded and quietly stepped through the door. She was in what she figured to be a large theatre dressing room, with make-up all over the place, props, and a plaid couch that had probably seen it’s better days. She didn’t immediately see Tom, but there seemed to be a bathroom off of the dressing room, and she could hear his voice mingled in with a woman’s drifting out.  
           “Tom?” She asked as she quietly knocked on the bathroom door. When she peeked her head inside, she saw him sitting in a chair, with a plate on his lap, scarfing down an enormous grilled chicken salad, and a beautiful woman worked on some wound makeup on his left arm.

                                                                   

             “Ah! The good doctor is here.” He said as he winked sat her. “Jasmine, could you give us a bit, please?”

             The woman smiled as she obliged, and passed Olivia in the doorway. She got a good look at the woman’s lovely tattoos as she passed, and cringed a bit in jealousy… sometimes she wished that her profession wasn’t as strict as it was.

            He placed what was left of his salad dish on the table beside his chair, and grinned at her as he pointed to his forehead. “Well? Am I going to make it? What do you think?”

            _Oh, yeah… that. She was just standing here staring, completely forgetting what she came for._

           “Let’s take a look and see. I’d hate for them to have to cancel the show because the seemingly immortal lead actor perished from a head wound.”

            He laughed. “Mmm-hmm. That’s would be tragic... but so very Shakespearean!”

            She cleared her throat as she placed her bags on the floor beside his chair, and timidly stepped between his long legs to get a closer look. “Does it hurt?” She asked as she wrinkled her nose, and pulled the piece of gauze that he had placed there from his skin.

           Tom’s head suddenly went blank for a moment as he watched her face mere inches from his… her beautiful, twinkling brown eyes, and her full lower lip as she bit it… then she did the wrinkly-nose thing, and that completely threw him off. “Um… no, not really. Not anymore. It hurt when it happened, I felt like my whole blasted head was going to fall off.”

           “Aw, you poor thing.” She giggled. “Well, you do indeed need a stitch. I think you really only need one, though, maybe two. I’ll know more after I start.”

           He nodded. “I was afraid of that. Well… how do you want me?”

            _She wished her mind didn’t go to places it shouldn’t._ “Well, you’ll need to be lying down.”

          “How about the couch?” He asked as he nodded his head toward his dressing room.

          “Um… yeah, that should work.”

          She pulled all her instruments, and the things she’d need for the procedure from her bag, and set up a makeshift surgical suite right in his dressing room.

          He watched as she methodically and perfectly laid everything out. “Do you think you’ll really need all those things? I’m not too fond of needles…”

          “I’m afraid so. And really, Tom, I should have made you go to A&E. These aren’t the most sanitary conditions.”

         “I know, I know. I told you that I’d owe you one.”

         “Just don’t sue me when the gangrene sets in, please.” She chuckled. After trying a couple different positions, Olivia finally found a comfortable position, with Tom’s head resting in her lap, tilted back a smidge. She reached over, pulling the table to the edge of the couch, before pulling on her latex gloves. “I need to clean it up some, since it’s been open for hours.”

         “Yes, darling, do what you need to.” He closed his eyes in nervous anticipation of what was to come.

         Livi cleaned the outside of the split skin as carefully as possible, while trying to control the bleeding. “Now… for the lidocaine. This will sting.”

         His eyes shot open as he looked up to her with a needle full of clear liquid, and she could see his large hands clutch the fabric of his black Jordan pants.

         “Are you _really_ afraid?”

         “Well… just a bit. Have been ever since I was a boy.”

         “Just look into my eyes. It’ll be over with before you know it.” She smiled warmly at him.

         He did as she asked, looking deeply into the pretty doctor’s eyes. He noticed that they weren’t exactly brown, as they had a lot of bright gold running through them, and they were absolutely stunning. Her eyes darted back and forth between the gash, and his crystal clear, cobalt-blue colored eyes. She inserted the needle multiple times, making sure the area was completely numb, and he didn’t even flinch.

         “Okay, see? That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

         To be honest, he was so mesmerized that he didn’t even know she had done it. He shook his head, and breathed out a sigh of relief, all the same. “I didn’t even feel it. You seem to have the touch, Doctor Beckett.”

         “Oh, call me Olivia.”

         “Okay then… Olivia.” The way her name rolled off his tongue was absolutely freaking beautiful.

         “Now, for the stitches.” She picked up the forceps and the needle holder, and quickly went to work before the medicine began to wear off.

         “So, you said you had only been in London for three months?” He asked her, as he was much more relaxed now.

         “Mmm-hmm…”

         “Where did you come from?”

         Her eyebrows knitted together. “Why?”

         “I was just curious… just making small talk, since my head is in your lap.”

         When she said nothing after that, he continued. “Well, whereabout do you live now?”

          “I’m renting a flat… Dressage Court…”

          “Oh, that’s Bethnal Green, right?”

          “Mmm-hmm…” She concentrated as she moved the needle through his skin.

          “That area’s a bit dodgy, isn’t it?” He asked, incredulously.

          She shrugged. “No, it’s okay. There are parts of it that aren’t very good… but for the most part, it’s just fine. It’s a mischievous little neighborhood. I don’t mind it.”

          He let his mind wander for a moment, as he wondered why a single, beautiful woman wasn’t scared living in an area like that. “Can I ask what brought you to London, then? If you won’t tell me where you came from…”

         She smiled, he wasn’t giving up. “I’m a locus tenens doctor… which means-”

         “It means you’re a traveling doctor, right?”

         “Right…”

         “That _has_ to be hard, not really having a home for very long… before going somewhere else.”

         “I can’t imagine that it’s much different than what you do, though, Tom. You travel a lot for work, I’m sure.”

         “I guess so, but I always have a home to come back to. How much longer will you be in London?”

        “Three months.”

        “… and then?” He asked, hopeful.

        She shrugged again, as she began to tie a complex knot in the tiny stitches. “I’m not really sure. I’m waiting to get a place on a mercy ship to Africa… we’d set up surgical theaters on the ships, and perform surgeries all day… Or maybe Doctors Without Borders… I just love to help people, and I basically go where I’m needed. If I found a place that I really loved, there’s a chance it could become permanent. I just can’t see myself settling down like that, though.”

        “What about the people that love you? Your family? Don’t they despise you traveling like that?”

        With a quick snip from the small steel scissors, she surveyed her work. “All done. Two small stitches… Let me just put a small bandage on it, okay?”

        He nodded, noticing that she had completely avoided his question.

        “Alright, sit up for a little while before you try and walk. I don’t want you passing out on me.”

        He sat up, as he watched her pull her gloves from her hands, and begin to clean up the mess she had made. When she got everything into the small biohazard bag, she looked up at him. “You feeling okay?”

        “Yes, I’m great… Thank you again, Olivia. I really don’t know what I would have done without you today.”

        “No problem.”

        “Why don’t you stay for the performance?” He looked at his watch. “It begins in two hours. It would be an honor for you to be my guest. I’ll put you right in the front row.”

        “Oh, I don’t know…”

        “I know, it’s not your bag, right?”

       “My bag?” She giggled at his lingo.

       “Come on… _please_ , stay. It will be a new experience, if nothing else.”

       She had nothing else to do… and she _did_ like his company, when he wasn’t prying into her business.

       She sighed as she looked at her watch. “Well… I guess I can. Besides, I need to make sure my poor patient doesn’t take a turn for the worse.”

       “I agree. That’s what any good doctor would do.”

       She tried to stay out of the way for the rest of the afternoon, as a tornado of action happened. His makeup was finished— the artist did a splendid job of blending his small bandage into his forehead, and he got into costume, finally kicking Olivia out of the dressing room and into the buzzing, electric audience of the large room. The stage was mere inches from her toes, and as much as she didn’t want to admit it, she was so excited about watching the show.

       The lights began to dim, as both of their hearts began to race… it was _showtime_ …

 


	3. Tea for Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter involves a patient’s death, and also some mentions of blood, so if that is triggering, please proceed with caution!

                                                 

 

  

              As the lights came up, Olivia squirmed in her seat with surprised excitement… it surprised _her_ that she was excited about _this_ … but she was, and she didn’t know if it was the atmosphere, the quiet hush of the crowd, the nervous tension in the room, or the man that invited her to sit in this very seat that was turning her stomach into a big ‘ol knot.

             The play began with a man and woman having an angry go at each other on stage, and then Tom barged into the scene. Commanding and intimidating, Caius Martius stepped onto the floor. This was not the Tom she had been with just a few moments ago… softly laying in her lap as she stitched his forehead… this was someone else entirely. He had gotten so into the role, and came onto the floor snarling, and yelling so loudly that Olivia jumped slightly in her seat. She was perched so closely to the action that she could see the look in his eyes that he had just gained over the last few minutes, powerful… and a bit crazy.

            Before she knew it, he was ascending a ladder, and after a moment came in from the wings covered in fake blood. Of course, as a doctor, Olivia nearly jumped out of her seat to help him… but she remembered, it was a play, and that was part of it. It looked convincing enough though, and she spent her career trying to _keep_ people from being covered in blood. She shuddered a bit looking at him like that.

_It was fake, Olivia, calm down._ He closed his eyes, and clenched his fist while the blood was dripping off of him onto the floor and softly, convincingly uttered “O, me alone! Make you a sword of me?” Olivia sighed. This man had much more talent than she gave him credit for.

           She hoped to goodness that his stitches would hold up during the fight scene with Aufidius… and she cringed every time Tom was hit or flipped onto his back… and then, the _water._ She had no idea that he was going to be under _running_ water on stage.

                                                  

            Olivia found herself grow a bit jealous when she watched the woman that played his wife wrap herself in his arms and kiss him. _Why?_ Livi didn’t feel that way toward him… she didn't even know him— but, it had been so long since she had truly _been_ with anyone, that she grew jealous of most couples… even make-believe ones. She was never in one place long enough to have a very meaningful relationship, and she wondered if that was just her lot in life… helping every one else, to the detriment of herself?

           She was startled back to reality, when Tom walked across the stage in a cream-colored sheer cotton gown. Was he… _naked_ under that thing? She squinted her eyes, trying to figure it out, and giggled to herself. This had suddenly become much more interesting that she had intended.

                                                                                

            She noticed many other eyes doing to same thing, and suddenly she diverted hers to her pink fingernails. He was really and truly putting his heart and soul, sweat and tears into the performance, and he deserved better.

            She felt her phone vibrate in her bag, but she knew it was almost intermission, so she decided to finish out the scene before checking her messages, as she didn’t want to be disrespectful. When the sad scene finished, and the lights came back up, she reached into her bag and pulled her phone from it, before putting to her ear to listen to her voicemail.

              _“Dr. Beckett, this is Dr. Morgan. We are overrun in A &E, so I need you to come in, if at all possible. It must a full moon, because the clinic is full of freak accidents! I’ll expect to see you here within the hour…”_

             She rolled her eyes, and thought for a moment… she could _always_ pretend that she didn’t get the message. She would feel too guilty about that, though. She didn’t want to just leave without telling Tom goodbye, but she knew he was busy. She reached into her bag and pulled her stationary pad from it.

 

                                                                       

 

            She jotted a quick note, and saw the large man that led her to Tom in the first place and approached him.

           “Dr. Beckett.” The man greeted her.

           “Hi… umm… I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”

           “James.”

          “Hi, James. Could you do me a favor? I have to leave suddenly.” She handed the note to him. “Do you mind giving that to Tom, please? I don’t want him to think I just left.”

          “I don’t mind. I’ll do it now. Have a nice night, Dr.”

          “Thanks.” _Man, that guy is big._ He must be security of some sort. She didn't know if he was Tom’s security, or the Donmar’s…

      ______________________________

         The night wore on, both in the Donmar theatre, _and_ the surgical theatre. There had been accident after accident that night, upon everything else, and Olivia could barely keep up. She spent hours assessing patients, and treating their wounds, whether they needed stitches themselves, or had broken bones, or even admission into the hospital. One final accident happened after midnight, that brought 4 people into A &E. Besides she and Dr. Gordon, who was a middle aged man, another young doctor was brought in… a surgeon— Dr. Miles Blake. He was an attractive, tall man, with large hands, but they worked miracles under pressure. He also had long hair, that he kept up in a tight bun beneath his surgical cap, as per hospital rules. Livi had assisted him in surgery many times before when she filled in in A&E, and they worked well as a team, even under the worst circumstances— her tiny hands could sometimes get into spaces that his couldn’t.

                                                               

            This accident, however, was the worst she had seen since she had arrived in London. Fortunately, there was only one automobile involved in the accident, but each person was critical. Two patients were sent to their hospital, and the other two were sent to a hospital a few miles away. Miles and Olivia got the most critical ones. She started getting the woman stabilized, as she heard Miles calling her loudly from the surgical suite. The nurses took over the care of the woman, as Livi ran down the hall. She didn’t even have time to get into her surgical gear, before Miles began giving her orders.

           “We’ve got to hurry, we’re gonna lose him. Start on CPR, I’ve got to figure out what’s going on.” The man yelled toward her.

           She nodded and jumped up onto the table to position herself to straddle the man and began CPR. After 30 chest compressions, she leaned forward, pinched the man’s nose and breathed into his mouth twice, watching his chest rise and fall with each one.

           “ _Come on… come on…_ ” She chanted as she began compressions again. The man wasn’t responding, even after several rounds of this cycle, and she tried to block out the drone of the flatline buzz on the man’s monitor. All she could think about was the fact that the man was married to the woman in the other room… if Livi didn’t succeed in bringing the man back, the other patient would be a widow… all too early.

            “Olivia, his heart’s stopped. He’s gone!”

           “No!! Try the defibrillator!” She yelled.

           “He’s gone, Livi.”

           “Try it. At least try. Please!” She begged.

           “Fine. Watch out.” Miles sighed as Olivia jumped from the table and backed away, hoping to goodness that the defibrillator would work. He put a paddle in each hand. “Charging…” He pressed the paddles to the man’s chest. “Clear.”

           The defibrillator delivered the electric shock to the man, making his body convulse from the current.

           The other Doctor shook his head. “Charging… clear.” He attempted it again… nothing.

           She watched the monitor hopefully, wanting to see that pulse begin again. “Just give him a second, Miles.”

           “It’s no use. He’s gone, Livi.”

           “If you’re not going to keep trying, then _I_ will. _Move!_ ” She yelled as she positioned herself on top of the man again, restarting CPR.

           Miles watched her for a moment before wrapping his arms around her waist, and pulling her from the man. “Let it _go_. He’s gone. We tried. We did all we could do. He was nearly dead when he got here.”

          Her mouth hung open as she looked between the doctor, and the man on the table. “You’re just giving up?”

          Miles nodded. “I know when it’s too late!”

          From the door, Dr. Gordon spoke, as he had heard the exchange between Livi and Miles. “Dr. Beckett, everyone else has been stabilized. Why don’t you go on home— I know you’re tired. Thank you for trying.”

          She nodded slightly, as she walked from the room, and pulled her bags from the locker room. She hadn’t even gotten the chance to change into scrubs that night, so her pants were stained with blood and her sweater was covered in no-telling-what. She passed through the automatic A&E door, but she heard someone call her name as she passed the threshold.

          “Livi, wait.”

         She turned to see Miles running toward her, pulling his surgical cap from his head, exposing his long, dark blonde hair. “Hey… don’t go home upset. We tried. You know this happens sometimes. It’s not the first, and it won’t be the last. You’re a wonderful doctor. You _know_ this isn’t your fault.”

         She nodded as she played with the rocks on the concrete of the parking lot with her boots. She knew if she thought much more about it, or looked at Miles, her resolve to stay strong would fail. “I know. I’m tired… I’m gonna go.”

         “Uh... Livi…. is that _Tom Hiddleston_ sitting on your car?”

         Her head swirled around quickly to find her little red car… and _Mr. Celebrity_ sitting on it. He sheepishly waved at her when he saw her watching him.

         “Bye, Miles.” She absentmindedly turned from her doctor friend, and traipsed over to Tom.

         “I didn’t know you worked with Thor…” He said playfully.

         All she could do was roll her eyes. This wasn’t a good time.

         “What’s happened to you?” Tom asked, as he eyed her bloody jeans.

        She cleared her throat as she walked to the passenger side of her car and threw her bags into the seat. Her doctor’s bag still housed Tom’s bloody gauze. “What are you doing here, Tom? It’s 3 A.M.”

         “I know what time it is, darling. I just got done at the warehouse about an hour ago… and thought I’d come make sure you were okay.” He held up the note she had left him. “Since you left the show early.”

         “Yeah, I know… I’m sorry. I got called into work. It’s been a night from hell. I just lost a patient… there was nothing I could do for him. I did CPR, and we tried the defibrillator… but…”

         “Oh, love… I’m so sorry.” He jumped from the car and pulled her into a tight embrace.

         She tried to resist, but she let herself relax a bit and bury her tired face in his cardigan-covered chest. It smelled like he had just had a shower, and it felt so good to just be hugged… it had been far too long since someone had really wrapped their arms around her like that. She barely knew this man, but she was deriving comfort by being near him.

        “Thanks.” She replied quietly, but when he pulled back to look in her eyes, he could see they were filled with tears. “I’m gonna go home, Tom… I’m tired. Thank you for checking on me though.”

        “You can’t go home like this, can you?”

        “I always do.”

        “But… what if I don’t _want_ you to be alone? I can see you’re upset.”

        “I’ll be fine… really. We’re only 3 miles from my apartment.”

        “Well… at least let me follow you there and see you in… you know, for your safety.” He said, effectually showing Livi the sweetest puppy dog face ever.

        “I don’t really even know you… how do I know that _you’ll_ keep me safe?”

        He chuckled. “I assure you, I’ll be on my best behaviour.”

        She nodded slightly, as he grinned and headed toward a dark grey, expensive looking SUV. “I’ll follow you, then.” He yelled toward her as he slid into his vehicle. _Hmph, she figured he was more of a sports-car type of guy._

        Within five minutes, she had pulled up at the curb of her building, with him pulling in tightly behind her. She supposed Tom was nice enough, after all, he cared enough to see her into her building after her long night, especially since she didn’t exactly live in the nicest neighborhood.

        “Here we are…” He grinned as he walked up to the passenger side of the car. “Let me carry your bags.”

        “It’s okay, I can get them…”

        “Why are you so stubborn, Olivia?” He asked as he leaned into the car.

        “I’m not stubborn. I’m independent.”

        “Well… I respect that, but you’ll put all independence aside for a moment. I told you that I was going to see you in, and I am. Now, I am going to carry your bags, because you’ve had a hard night, and you aren’t going to argue, hear?”

         If she had any energy left, she’d laugh… although, it felt kind of good to be taken care of for a change.

         The pair made it up the lift, and Livi turned to Tom expectantly. He raised his eyebrows in response to her stare.

         “I’ll need my keys so that I can get into my flat, and they’re in the bag that you’ve got clutched so tightly under your chivalrous arm.”

         “Ah… oh, yes, sorry.” He grinned as he maneuvered her purse from his shoulder.

        She was impressed. After all, it takes a _real_ man to carry a pink suede bag that confidently… especially one that had a little pink-haired, Japanese, Kokeshi Doll charm hanging from one of the handles. She bit her lip, and dug through her bag for a moment before pulling her keys from it— normally it took her longer than that to find her keys. Tom smiled when he saw her keychain which not only featured a Union Jack, but a bright red double-decker bus that read ‘London’ across it.

        After a couple of jiggles, she finally pushed the door open and led him through a small hall, passing the door to the kitchen and into her rather bare living room. “Well, this is it… not much to it. I move too often to decorate very much.” She smiled back at him as she deposited her bag on the fluffy, light grey couch.

        “Well, it’s nice. Rather big, for a flat in London.”

        She shrugged. “I mainly just sleep here, so it does the job.”

        He nodded as he looked back down to her ruined jeans. “I have an idea. Why don’t you go take a shower? It would probably help your feelings.”

         “… and you’re going to stay?”

         “Yes, if you don’t mind. I’d like you to take a look and make sure my stitches still look good after the performance tonight.”

         “Oh… well, okay. I’ll be out in a few minutes. Make yourself at home.” She said as she grabbed a few things from what he guessed was her bedroom, and disappeared into her bathroom.

         Of course, he didn’t _really_ need for her to look at his stitches, he was just trying to come up with an excuse to stay for a little while. He wanted to make sure that Olivia was okay, since he knew she was upset. He didn’t really know how she felt, but he imagined that losing a patient was probably the absolute worst part of her job— plus, even though he didn’t know her that well, he enjoyed her company.

        He looked around her living room a bit while she was occupied in the shower. She seemed to be very feminine, and her decor mirrored that. The couch was lined with pillows alternating between a grey and white chevron print, and a light, baby pink, and in front of the couch sat a nice, white coffee table with a small fern, and a stack of books on it. Above the couch, hung a large canvas of Audrey Hepburn in her iconic role as Holly Golightly in Breakfast At Tiffany’s, and on the opposite wall was a large bookshelf full of a mixture of hard-backed fiction, biographies, and medical manuals.

        He wandered into the kitchen, and looked in the refrigerator, not finding much… he barely found a package of loose Darjeeling tea, and filled her electric kettle with water, flipping the switch to begin to heat the water. In her cabinet, he found a lovely tea set that looked different than the ones he had seen before. It was a matte black, but had lovely porcelain on the lid of the pot, and on the insides of the cups, and on the porcelain were what looked like purple watercolor flowers, with bright green stems. As soon as the kettle alerted him of the hot water, he added it to the teapot, along with the silver strainer, and some of the tea, and put the lid on to let it steep. He added some biscuits to a plate, and placed them along with the pot on the living room coffee table.

       He took a seat on the couch, and picked up the book that rested on her coffee table… _The Book of Everything: A Visual Guide to Travel and the World_. He was just learning about how to avoid being sucked into quicksand when he heard her enter the room. His stunning blue eyes quickly found her brown ones, but not before surveying her short, black, jogger shorts and long-sleeved pink and turquoise tie-dyed t-shirt. Her dark hair was wet from the shower, and her face was clean of the makeup she had been wearing.

       She had been watching him for longer than he knew, as she couldn’t bear to disturb him. He had obviously been busy making tea and putting her favorite snack on a plate for her. That was literally the sweetest gesture anyone had ever done for her, and she didn’t quite know how to react. She watched his face as he read, his eyebrows furrowing when he came to a particularly interesting spot, trying to retain the knowledge he was picking up from the travel book. One of his large hands held the hardback, and the other gently ran through his haphazardly styled hair.

       “Hi.” She said quietly as she entered the room.

       “Hello, there. I’ve already learned how to get myself out of quicksand, but I’m afraid you've just interrupted my learning about how to defend myself from an alligator.”

       “Oh no…” She giggled as she plopped down on the couch beside him. “This is very sweet.” She pointed to the tea and biscuits.

       “Oh, think nothing of it, love… I was going to cook some food for you, but I couldn’t find anything in your kitchen besides stale bread and Salt and Vinegar crisps.”

       She grimaced. “Yeah, I know… sorry… it’s rare that I eat at home. Don't worry, Hobnobs are my favorite, anyway.” She said, as she pointed to the plate in front of her. 

                                                     

       “Good.” He laughed as he scooted forward to pour her a cup of tea, before holding it out to her. “Here you are, darling. You know, it’s not often that I have black tea at 4 a.m.”

       “Isn’t _any_ time a good time for tea here?” She smiled as she took the teacup from his agile fingers.

       “Well, I suppose so.”

       “Mmm… that’s _so_ good.” She closed her eyes as the hot tea coated her throat and warmed her insides. After a glorious moment, she came back to reality. “I don’t think I’ll _ever_ learn to brew a good cup of tea.” She pulled her legs underneath her body to sit on them. “How’s your head? I’m sorry, with everything that’s happened, I haven’t thought to ask.”

       “It’s fine. Stings a little, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I think I’ll survive.” He thought he was being witty until he saw the look on her face. He hadn’t thought about what he was saying before it slipped from between his lips. “Oh… oh, no… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

      She placed her teacup on the table and took off to her kitchen. She wasn’t gone for long before she reappeared with a half empty (or half-full?) bottle of cold scotch whisky, and two clear glass tumblers. She noticed the wide-eyed, shocked expression on his face. “I’m sorry, Tom. I need something a little stronger for now… I brought you a glass.”

     He nodded slowly. “Oh-kay… I didn’t see _that_ when I looking into your refrigerator.”

     “Hmph. Must’ve been hiding behind the stale bread.” She quipped as she handed him a glass.

     “You don’t want to eat before you drink that whisky?” He asked, wondering if this was a good idea.

     “Nope… I don’t. Cheers…” She held up her glass and looked at him expectantly.

     He laughed and shook his head. Whether it was a good idea or not, it was happening. “Cheers, darling.”


	4. Thomas H.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter involves drinking alcohol, so if that is triggering, please proceed with caution! As always, feedback is always loved and valued! Love all of you! <3C

                                  

 

      Their glasses clinked together, before Olivia quickly brought hers to her lips, ridding the contents from the glass… and into her mouth. Tom did the same, only not nearly as quickly as Livi, and he coughed a bit from the harshness of the Ledaig whisky. She didn’t seem bothered by it though.  
     He cleared his throat as he watched her pour each of them another glass. “So, where were you before you were sent to London?”  
     “Well, last I was in Tokyo… and then before that, Bunbury in Western Australia… and before that, Detroit.” She answered, as she took another gulp from her glass.  
     “Ah, I just filmed some work in Detroit. A movie…”  
     “Really?”  
     “Mmm…” He groaned as he took another sip of whisky. “I played a vampire… Adam.”  
     “A vampire? Were you covered in glitter?” She giggled.  
     He could tell that the whisky was already getting to her, and to be honest, he was feeling a slight buzz from it as well. “Uh… no. I wasn’t that kind of vampire.”  
     “Oh, good.” She tilted her head back as she emptied her glass once again.  
     “You’re going to be sick, if you don’t eat something…” He cleared his throat as he handed her one of the hobnobs from the plate. “Eat this… at least one. Come on.”  
     “Fine…” She huffed as she reached out her hand to grab the biscuit, only she was beginning to see doubles from the alcohol, and missed the biscuit completely.  
     “See? That’s precisely why you should eat this. You’re already drunk.” His smug look wasn’t completely lost on her. He broke off a piece of the biscuit and held it up to her mouth. “Open.”  
     She did as he asked, but not before she rolled her eyes at him. She made sure that he knew that it was _her_ decision to eat the biscuit, not because _he_ wanted her to.  
     “There you are… that should help a little.”  
     “By the way, I’m not drunk. I’m at least three glasses away from being drunk.”  
     He laughed at her. “Okay… okay. I believe you!”  
     She topped up her glass, before moving to do his as well. He put his hand over the glass rim, stopping her. “I don’t think I need anymore, darling. I don’t need to perform tonight with a hangover.”  
     “Why do you call me darling when you hardly even know me? In America, you might get slapped for that. I mean, _I_ wouldn’t slap you… but someone else might…” She asked as she took another tiny sip.  
     “Oh… well… I guess it’s just a thing I do. Are you bothered by it? I’m sorry, it’s a bit of a habit that I’ve picked up.”  
     “No, it doesn’t really bother me…” She blushed. “Just wondering is all…”  
     He nodded as he watched the red color flow to her cheeks. He didn’t know if it was the whisky, or _him_ that had made her blush… whatever it was, it was perfect and beautiful.  
     She noticed him staring intently at her, and before she knew it, he had launched himself toward her and placed his lips squarely against hers. His large hands cupped her face, and their whisky flavored lips melted together. She let her tongue dart out to trace his thin lower lip, before his tongue joined hers. She tasted of hobnob, whisky, and black tea, and as he deepened the kiss, he felt a twinge of guilt and pulled away quickly. His forehead lightly rested against hers, as not to put pressure on his tender stitches. “I can’t… we can’t… you’ve drunk too much. It wouldn’t be right.”  
     She knew she wasn’t anywhere near drunk, she had just now gotten to that warm, buzzed feeling… she had a long way to go before she was drunk. She wanted to push things further with him, knowing that a physical release would help her feelings, at least for a little while, but she knew from experience that sex changes things a lot, and she didn’t want to get involved with anyone… that was a rule that she tried to live by. It was just got too messy when it was time for her to leave.  
     “I’ve got MarioKart…” She said, immediately wishing she could pick the words up, and shove them back into her mouth. Sometimes she embarrassed herself.  
     “I’ve never played MarioKart.” He whispered and smiled against her lips. “Will you teach me?” He resigned himself to the fact that nothing else could happen tonight. He didn’t want to rush her into anything, he barely knew her; plus she had been drinking… if they were going to be together, he wanted to be sure that she’d remember it tomorrow.  
     She cleared her throat to try and lessen the tension, as she slid off the couch and made her way to the small armoire at the end of her living room… all on wobbly legs. _Maybe the alcohol was getting to her more than she thought._ She opened the cabinet, revealing her television. “I may not have food… but I’ve got whisky and a Nintendo. Really, isn’t _that_ what’s important?” She looked back at him to wink, but caught him with his hands on himself, mid-adjustment. When she realized _why_ he was adjusting himself, her eyes grew wide. He laughed bashfully as she quickly looked away.  
     “Ah… I’m sorry. Can’t really control it.” He apologized quietly, as she turned to him and held a bright blue controller out.  
     “You can be Mario. I’ll be Princess Peach.” She smiled as he took the controller from her hands.  
     After a couple of hours, and a little more whisky on Livi’s part, she had taught him how to drift around the track’s curves in his Kart, and soon, he began beating her in the races. She blamed it on the fact that her vision was beginning to grow a little hazy, otherwise she’d be beating his ass.  
     “Well, that’s enough of that.” She stated, matter-of-factly, as she took the controller out of his hand in the middle of a race.  
     “Hey! I was enjoying that!” He laughed at her. “I was beating you!”  
     “I know. I don’t like losing.”  
     “I can see that.” He said, cocking his eyebrows. “Anyhow, I bet you’re tired after the night you had. Why don’t you come and sit beside me? I make a good pillow.” He held his long arms out in a gesture that looked so warm and inviting, but Olivia was unsure. “Well, come on. I don’t bite. Come, get some rest.”  
     She sighed, as she didn’t think he was going to give up until she did it. She plopped onto the couch beside him, as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to lay on his chest. ‘Mmm… he _does_ make a good pillow,’ she thought as she closed her eyes and inhaled him. It had been far too long since she had laid on a man like this, and just smelled him, and Tom’s woodsy, fresh scent was entirely too enticing.  
     Before she knew it, she was waking up alone on her couch. A pillow had been placed under her head, and her thick, crocheted blanket had been pulled up around her. For a moment, she wondered if everything that had happened over the last couple of days had been real… maybe she had been dreaming? She noticed a note on her coffee table, and as she sat up, the room spun and her head ached. _Well, the alcohol had at least been real._ She immediately regretted all the whisky as a wave of nausea swept over her.  
     The note was on the back of a crumpled receipt, and she silently admonished herself for not having actual paper to write on in her flat. It was written in a messy handwriting, and she squinted as she tried to read it.

                            

 

     A _gift_? She looked on the table beside her, and on a napkin lay 2 ibuprofen next to a bottle of water. _Thank God._ She swallowed the pills, and lay back down thinking about how thoughtful it was of him to leave her medicine out like that. She reached over and grabbed her cell phone off the coffee table, quickly going to her contacts. _Yup, there he was._ He had entered his number underneath the name ‘Thomas H.’ Just by looking at the name, you’d think that it could be any old Thomas H. off the street… until you looked at the photo he’d added as his contact photo. He must have taken it right before he left, because he was all bundled up for the cold day, complete with his tiny bandage. _Geez, that smile probably leaves scores of women keeled over dead in the street._

     “Ugh.” She groaned as she put her phone back onto the coffee table and closed her eyes once more. She hoped that the ibuprofen would work quickly, because her head felt like someone was beating it like a drum. Finally, she sunk a little further into the couch, and drifted back off to sleep.  
__________________________________  
  
     A loud knocking startled her awake a couple of hours later. She looked at her clock as she swung her legs around to place them flat on the floor. _2:24 P.M. Who is bothering her?_ When she looked out of the peephole, she noticed an older man standing there with several boxes on a moving dolly.  
     “Can I help you?” She asked through the door.  
      “I’m looking for Olivia Beckett. I’ve got a delivery.”  
      _A delivery? What the hell could be in all those boxes?_ She opened the door for the man, with a questioning expression on her still sleepy face.  
     “Are you Ms. Beckett?”  
     “Yes… what’s all that?” She ran her hand over her hair, trying to make sure it wasn’t looking completely crazy.  
     “I’ve got a grocery delivery from Whole Foods.”  
     “A… grocery delivery?”  
     “That’s what I said.”  
     Livi wrinkled her nose at the rude quip from the man. She watched as he wheeled his moving dolly into her kitchen, depositing the boxes in the middle of the floor.  
     “There you are, Miss. Thank you.” He said quickly as he made a hasty exit.  
     She locked the door behind him, and walked into the kitchen surveying the stack of boxes. She stood on her tip-toes and peeked into the top box, seeing several bread items. ‘Oh man, that smells so good.’ She thought to herself as she pulled the box down and went through it. Freshly baked bagels, croissants, blueberry muffins, and chocolate chip cookies were housed in that box. She began to filter through the other boxes, and pulled from them different cheeses, fruits, meat, snacks, bottled water, teas and coffee for her Keurig. She certainly hadn’t ordered all this food, so she only knew of one person that would have. She immediately went to her phone and pressed the number beside the smiling ‘Thomas H.’  
     “Well, hello there.” He said, with the hint of a grin in his voice.  
     “Hi.”  
     “How do you feel? I would imagine that you’ve got a bit of a headache.”  
     She chuckled. “Yeah, I do… definitely not feeling so hot. The ibuprofen helped though, thank you.”  
     “You’re welcome.” She could hear metal clanging and voices reciting Shakespeare in the background, and knew he must have been at practice.  
                                                                 

     “So, I just received a huge delivery of groceries… I was wondering who the mystery person was that sent them to me.”  
     “Ah… yes, I don’t know who that could have been.” He joked.  
     “Tom, I really appreciate it… but you know that I can buy my own groceries.”  
     “I know you can… however, that doesn’t mean that you _will_. I know you stay busy at the clinic. Just consider it a kind gesture.”  
     “It _was_ very kind. Thank you, again.”  
     “Save the chicken and pasta. I’m coming over tomorrow night and cooking you dinner.”  
     “You _are_?”  
     “Yes, if that’s alright.. I’m free tomorrow, and I like your company just a bit, Dr. Beckett. Now, go make yourself a sandwich, eat and lay down. I’ll give you a call later, alright?”  
     “Well...okay… I'll probably need to change your bandage, and check your stitches, anyway. Thanks again, Tom.”  
     “Yes, you’re quite welcome, darling.”  
     After their goodbyes, Olivia stared at her phone for a moment. She didn’t know what was happening, and she didn’t know how to handle it. This was the point where she usually distanced herself from men. That moment when she starts to feel butterflies… the moment where she’s giddy at the thought of seeing someone… that was _always_ her sign. She didn’t want to end it with Tom, though. She liked him a lot, even though it was still very new. He seemed to be warm and caring, not to mention ridiculously good-looking and down to earth… and she could get used to listening to the way he said “dah-ling” with that deep voice riddled with his strong accent. She decided to give it another day at least, before deciding what to do about him. After dinner tomorrow night, she’d know…

                                                         

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have yet to watch our Tom in Coriolanus, please do so! It really is spectacular! Check out the first half here (https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B39MjQsqoLjgdU84OVVBbEIwZ2s/edit?pli=1) Unfortunately, the link I have for the second half no longer works. :(


	5. The Worst Thing

                                                      

 

            After an enormous turkey sandwich with every vegetable imaginable on it, Livi plopped down on her couch appreciating the feeling of her stomach being so full. That was the best meal she had eaten in a long time, and she mentally scolded herself for not taking better care of her body.    
            She flipped through the channels for what seemed like forever before deciding to watch a movie, instead. ‘The Notebook,’ it was! Livi was truly a romantic at heart, and hoped that one day she’d have a relationship like those you see in movies… but that time was not now.   
            She pulled her crocheted blanket up over her, and was fully engrossed in the movie she had now seen 1,423,653 times. It had come to her favorite part of the movie, where Noah and Allie had just gotten out of their canoe and were kissing each other passionately in the pouring rain.  
            Suddenly, Livi’s fingers went to her own lips. She just now remembered what had happened last night… Tom had kissed her. How could she have forgotten that?  _Well, she knew how she had forgotten… too much whisky._  She groaned as she clutched her head and closed her eyes, trying to picture what had happened the night before.   
            She remembered that Tom had lunged at her and kissed her, and she recalled the fire that she felt in that kiss. He quickly pulled away and refused to go any further because she had been drinking. Most men wouldn’t have done that. At least, Livi didn’t know many men that would have done that. Her fingers were still resting on her soft lips, when her phone rang.  _Miles_.  
            “Hello?” She answered, angry that he had pulled her from her daydream.   
           “Hey, Livi.”  
           “Hi, Miles.”  
           “Were you sleeping?”  
           “Nope… not sleeping…”  _Just daydreaming._    
           “I just wanted to check on you, Liv. After everything that happened at the hospital.”  
            “I’m okay, Miles… really.”  
            “Hmm… okay. What do you say we run out a get a drink? So you can get some fresh air?”   
            “Oh… no…  _definitely_  no alcohol. And how do you know that I haven’t already been out getting some fresh air?”  
            “Because I know you, and I know how you handle things. Why don’t we meet at that little coffee shop that we like? The weather’s pretty nice… it’s just raining lightly.”   
             She supposed that going to get coffee with Miles would be better than laying around in her apartment being a slob. “Fine. Meet you there at 4?”  
             “Great! See you there.”  
             Livi shook her head as she hung up the phone. Miles had become a good friend to her over the time she had been in London, but sometimes he had really bad timing.   
            She got up and took a shower, scrubbing her body with her Amazing Grace body wash, and thoroughly washing her brunette locks. She could only imagine what she smelled like after a night of drinking.   
            She slipped into a pair of thick, black leggings and an oversized grey sweater that hung off one shoulder showing a bit of skin, and slid her feet into her favorite royal purple wellies. She didn’t need much makeup, but she applied a layer of tinted moisturizer and a red stain on her lips and cheeks. With a coat of mascara, she was ready to go.   
             It didn’t take long to make it to the coffee shop, and as she approached the cute building she saw Miles waiting for her outside. He looked nice in his dark jeans, white t-shirt, and grey woolen coat. His hair was up in a messy bun, and Livi wondered how he ever got his messy buns to look so pretty. That was a talent that she had yet to accomplish. She giggled at the thought, as she greeted him. 

                                                  

Miles pulled her into a tight hug, and she felt like she was fully encompassed by him because he was so huge. “Hey, Livi.”  
            “Hi, Miles.” She smiled up at him as they separated.   
            “I’ve already got us a table inside, and I ordered you one of those fancy American white chocolate latte things that you love.”  
            She giggled. “Thanks. Did you order me extra foam?”  
            “Of course I did.”   
            “Great.” She said as he led her to a quaint table in the corner of the room.  
            He took his coat off, and draped it over the back of his chair, before pulling Livi’s chair out for her.   
            “Thanks, Miles.”  
            “So, did you get any sleep last night?”  
            “Well… not really last night. But, I did get some rest this morning.”  
            “Hmm…” Miles smiled. “Were you up all night because of the man that we found on your car last night?”  
            Livi sighed. “Yes, as a matter of fact-”  
            “Livi! You and  _Tom Hiddleston_?” He hissed.  
            “Shhh! Miles, it wasn’t anything like that. We played MarioKart.”  
            “MarioKart, huh? You had Tom Hiddleston in your flat… all to yourself… and _all_ you offered him was MarioKart?” He raised his eyebrows in a joking manner.  
             “Hush, Miles. We had both been drinking… he kissed me, but that’s as far as it went. He was a complete gentleman.”  
             “That’s good to hear. When I meet this guy, I need to ask him for his autograph. My fourteen-year old niece is positively obsessed with him.”  
             “Are you serious?” Livi smiled.  
             “Mmm-hmm. She has his posters all over her walls and even has his voice as her text tone. Something about a ‘ _mewling quim_.’ I don’t know, I haven’t seen the movies.”  
             “Oh, wow.” Livi said, unbelieving.   
             “You know that he’s a big star, right? Like a  _really_ big star?”  
             “I guess I didn’t realize just how big.”  
             The waitress brought their coffees and some chocolate scones, and the pair talked more about the night before.  
             “I wanted to make sure that you were okay after last night. I never should have put you in that position. You’re an amazing paediatrician- one of the best I’ve ever seen… and you were being very gracious to help us out in A&E. I wasn’t prepared for last night, but I shouldn’t have put you through that. I’m the one that’s in charge of the surgical suite, so it’s all my fault. I’m sorry, Livi.”  
            “It’s fine, Miles, really. It happens… I’m sure it won’t be the last, unfortunately. It’s part of our job.”  
            He shrugged as Livi felt her phone vibrate in her bag. When she pulled it from the leather bag, she saw a certain actor’s smiling face on the screen.  
            “Is it Loki?” Miles asked, smiling.  
            “Shh!” She shushed him again, before answering. “Hello?”  
            “Good afternoon, Olivia.”  
            “Hi, Tom. How are you?”   
            “I could be better, darling.”  
            “What’s the matter?” She asked, brows furrowing.  
            “I was rehearsing a few moments ago, and I butted heads with Hadley. I believe I could have hurt my stitches, as my forehead’s bleeding quite a lot.”  
           “Oh, Tom…”   
           “I know, darling, I’m so sorry. Are you where you could swing by the Donmar and take a look at it? I don’t believe that I have time to come to you, as I have a performance in a couple of hours.”  
           “Well, I’m at a coffee shop in Shoreditch, so I’m not that far. I’ll be there shortly.”  
           “Thank you, my dear Olivia. You’ll have to send me a bill for all these house calls.”   
           She giggled as she could hear his smile through his words. “No big deal. See you in a few minutes.”  
            “What was that all about?” Miles asked.  
            “I’ve got to run to the Donmar Warehouse and take a look at Tom’s head. I stitched it yesterday, but it sounds like he’s busted a stitch.”  
            “Ooh! Can I come?” He asked, hopefully.  
            “Well… I suppose. You just have to promise to be quiet.”  
            She hoped that it wouldn’t upset Tom by letting Miles come with her. After all, it’s not like she and Tom were a couple, so it shouldn’t matter.   
            The pair made their way to her small car, and she laughed as she watched Miles nearly fold himself up to get into it. This car was just not made for tall people. Thankfully, they didn’t have to go too far.  
            Livi parked in the same exact spot that she parked in yesterday. She grabbed her doctor’s bag out of the back and Miles began to follow her up the long sidewalk to the Donmar. He quickly spotted the bevy of people at the stage door.   
           “What in the world are all these people waiting for?”  
           Livi eyed the large group and knew exactly who they were. “I think those are Tom’s fans. They’re waiting for him to come out after the performance. I think he signs autographs every night.”  
           “It must be horrible to have beautiful women waiting on you for hours… just to get your signature.”  
            “Are you jealous?”  
            “I believe I am.”   
            Livi laughed as they passed through the crowd, and she knocked loudly on the door. Before the door was opened, a slew of questions were hurtled their way.  
           “You’re here again? Are you Tom’s girlfriend?”  
           “Is he still sick?”  
           “Oh my God! Are you Chris Hemsworth?”   
           “Please tell Tom that I love him!”   
           The door finally opened and the large security guard, James, allowed them in. “Hello, Dr. Beckett.”  
            “Hi there, James. You doing alright?”   
            “I think so. You know where Tom’s room is – go ahead.”  
            She nodded, and she and Miles walked down the long hall to Tom’s dressing room. She peeked her head in, and Tom was sitting in his theatre chair in front of the mirror, his body makeup had just been done, so he was sitting there topless, and for a moment she was preoccupied by looking at his muscular naked torso. In one hand, he held a thick script that he was reading, and with the other he was pressing a piece of gauze to his forehead. She could see the red liquid seeping through the gauze lightly, and knew that he must have truly hurt himself again.  
            “Tom?” She said softly as she entered the room slowly.  
            “Oh, hello darling. I’m so glad that you’re here.”  
            She snickered. “I bet.” She gestured to the man behind her. “This is Miles Blake. He’s a surgeon and a good friend of mine. I hope it’s okay that he tagged along. We were having coffee when you called.”   
            “Ah, yes. Delighted to meet you, Miles.” Tom placed the script on the counter, stood, and crossed the floor quickly with his long legs. The men shook hands, and Tom looked at the man strangely. “You know, Thor has an alter-ego on Earth… his name is _also_  Dr. Blake… and you  _do_  look a bit like Thor.” He said, with a pseudo-suspicious tone.   
           “He was asked outside if he was Thor…” Livi laughed. “…and he’s a pretty good surgeon, but I don’t think he quite has the powers of Thor. He works with a scalpel, not Mjolnir.”  
           “Ah, you know Norse mythology?” Tom turned his attention to Livi.   
           “I studied it a bit in college. Just one class.” She shrugged. “Let’s look at that head, Tom.”  
           “Yes, the head… I’m sorry, Olivia. It was an accident.” He jumped back up into his theatre chair.  
           “It’s fine, but the more we mess with this wound, the larger the scar will be. Plus, I don’t want you to be in pain. Let’s see what’s under that bandage.”                 She moved in between his legs, and the close proximity to him made her heart begin to beat faster. She kept picturing their kiss in her head, and she could almost feel his hands on her face as he placed his soft lips against hers. She wondered if he remembered it too?  
            She slowly pulled the edge of the bandage up, and winced as she saw his wound. “Oh, Tom. I was afraid of this. You’ve popped a stitch!”   
           “Shit. I’m sorry, darling. That’s why it hurt so bad.”  
           “Mmm-hmm. I’m going to have to replace that stitch… that means I’ll have to deaden it again.”  
           She watched Tom glance over to Miles, who had taken a seat on the couch, and whispered “do what you must.” Livi laughed. He was obviously trying to be brave in front of Miles, but she knew that Tom hated needles and she’d try to make it as painless as possible.   
            “Okay, give me a minute to get my things together.”   
            He nodded as he watched her pull a bundle of items from her bag and lay out her implements of torture in front of him on the counter. After she pulled her latex gloves on, she began to clean his forehead with sterile water, making sure there wasn’t any debris in his wound, and retrieved the bottle of lidocaine and needle from the counter.   
            “I’m using the tiniest needle that I have, so it shouldn’t be too bad. I won’t have to use as much as last time either.”  
            Tom nodded as he watched her draw up the clear liquid into the syringe and place the container of lidocaine back onto the counter.   
            “Okay, Tom,” She said, as she moved closer in between his legs. “Are you ready?”  
             She felt his large hands drift to her hips and slowly pull her closer before allowing them to meet at the small of her back.   
             “I’m ready now.” He grinned.  
             She was taken aback by his brazenness. With a huff, she inserted the needle for the first time, and when she inserted it for the second, he whispered to her again. “Olivia, is he your boyfriend?”  
             “No, Tom.” She pulled the needle from his skin for the final time as he released her.   
             “Good, because that would make my job much harder.”   
             “And what job would  _that_  be?” She asked with a quizzical furrow of her brows.  
             “If you can be secretive, so can I.” Tom winked as she ran the curved needle through his skin, finally pulling the thread through and tying it off, making a perfect stitch.  
             “There. Let me put a clean bandage on it.”   
              She gently patted his forehead with a sterile piece of gauze to make sure it was all dry, and placed a new small bandage over his two stitches.   
              “So, do we still have a date for dinner tomorrow night?”  
              “Hmm… I don’t know about that… ” She grinned.  
              “Come now, you must let me repay you for all this work!”   
              “Well, I suppose.”  
              “Lovely.” He raised his voice to allow Miles to hear him as well. “Since you’re both here, why don’t you stay for the performance?” Tom looked at the clock on the counter. “We’re not too far from beginning… maybe you can watch it in its entirety this time, Olivia?”  
              “Um… Tom… I’m not really dressed for the theatre. I mean, look at me.”   
             “I  _am_ , darling. You’ll be the most beautiful woman in the room.”  
            Miles piped up. “Sure! We’ll stay! Do you think that I could get your autograph too, Tom? For my niece, she loves you.”  
            “Miles! Shush!” Livi’s face began to blush from embarrassment.   
            “No, no, it’s quite alright. Anything for a friend of Olivia’s.” He smiled as he went to his backpack, and retrieved a Coriolanus theatre program. “What’s her name?”  
            “Eloise.”  
            “Ah, what a beautiful name!” He wrote for a moment, before handing the booklet to Miles.  
            “Thanks, Tom. I’ll be the favorite uncle now, for sure.”  
            “No problem. Now, go to James and he will show you to your seats.”  
            Miles followed Olivia, as it seemed that she knew her way around this place, and they quickly found their seats… right in the front row. The first half of the show once again took Livi’s breath away, and she hurriedly found the restroom during intermission. She didn’t want to miss one part of the second half.  
            As she was washing her hands, a young woman approached the sink beside her, and Livi could feel the woman staring at her in the mirror as she washed her own hands. Livi finally looked over and smiled at the woman as she washed all the suds from her hands.   
            “You’re that doctor, right?” The woman asked.  
            “I am  _a_  doctor, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m a peadiatrician.”  
            “No, no… I’m asking if you’re _that_ doctor.” The woman asked with a hopeful expression.   
            Olivia was completely confused. “ _What_ doctor?”  
            “Tom’s girlfriend. I saw your picture on the internet.”  
             “You saw  _my_  picture on the internet?”  
             “Yup, last night… it’s all over Tumblr. So, are you guys together? I promise I won’t tell.”  
             “Um…” Olivia felt like she was going to faint from all the blood rushing to her face. “I’ve gotta go.” She hurried from the bathroom and through the throngs of people in line for the loo, and through the front door of the Donmar, finally leaning against the brick of the large building. She hadn’t thought to get a coat, and it was freezing out here since the sun had gone down.    
             She tried to catch her breath as she pulled her cell phone from the pocket of her leggings, and with trembling hands she typed ‘google.’ She almost didn’t want to type her name in the search bar, but if what this girl said was true she needed to know. As quickly as she could with shaking hands, she typed ‘Olivia Beckett and Tom Hiddleston.’ She watched her breath come from between her lips in foggy condensation, as the next screen loaded. What she saw next surprised her. There in the search results, was page after page of her picture. Someone must have heard that she asked for Tom at the stage door of the Donmar and had taken her photo quickly right as she looked toward the camera.  The headlines ranged from ‘Who is this mystery brunette visitor to the set of Coriolanus?’ to ‘Is this the first picture of Tom Hiddleston’s new love?’ to ‘How long will _this_ girlfriend last?’ People judged every inch of her, from her hair, to her face, to her body… to whether or not Tom deserved someone better.  
           Olivia began to hyperventilate and pushed the button on the side of her phone to make the screen go black. She had seen enough. She took a few deep breaths, and pulled enough courage from deep down to go back in. The performance had just begun, and she knew it would be incredibly rude and distracting to go back in there now, so she got her phone back out.

                               8:39 P.M.  
            Miles, bring me my bags, please.  
         We have to go. I’m outside. I’m sorry.  
                                      -O

            After a moment, she saw the large, blond man coming to the door with her leather bag thrown over his shoulder, and her doctor’s bag in his hand. With a concerned furrow of his brow, he pushed the door open and walked through.   
            “What’s the matter, Livi? Why are you breathing like that? Are you alright?”   
            “I’m fine… we just need to go. I’m not feeling well all of a sudden.”  
            “Oh, okay. I’m sorry. I think Tom was a little distracted when I walked out with your bags.”   
            “I’m sure he was… I’ll drive you back to your car at the coffee shop, and then I’m going home.”   
            “Fine, fine. What’s wrong, Livi?”  
            “Nothing, Miles! Stop asking!” She hissed as she walked in front of him. Normally, he’d lead the way because his legs were so long, but there was no way he was catching up with her tonight.  
             She sped back to the coffee shop, and dropped Miles off at his car.   
“See you at the hospital Monday?” He asked as he ducked his head back in her car.  
             “Yeah, yeah… whatever.” She brushed him off quickly.  
             He got the point because he let her go. He knew that something had happened but he didn’t know  _what_. She was fine before she went into the bathroom, but something had happened in there, but he had no way of knowing what.   
             Olivia arrived home quickly, making her way into her apartment and turning all three of the locks on the door behind her. She checked all the windows, making sure they were locked, before pulling their drapes completely closed. She felt guilty for skipping out on Tom again, but she  _had_  to this time.   
             She changed clothes, and slipped into a pair of soft grey and white striped shorts, a white v-neck t-shirt and a cozy, open-front, grey cardigan. She fumbled through her drawer before she found her favorite thigh-high cable-knit socks that she pulled on to keep her legs warm.   
            She plopped down on the couch, and flipped on the television, finding absolutely nothing to watch. With a huff, she turned it off and threw the remote onto her rug. She slid down into the couch until she was fully inundated with fluffy pillows and her knit blanket. She pulled her favorite pillow, which was shaped like a Kawaii cactus that she had picked up in Japan, to her chest and hugged it tightly.   
           She was terrified that her photo was all over the internet, for more reasons than one, and she hadn’t thought about that happening just for being friends (or more?) with Tom.   
           She laid there for a couple of hours just staring at the lazily swirling ceiling fan, before her phone rang. Without even moving, she could look over at the coffee table and see Tom’s face shining on the lit-up screen. No doubt, he was calling to check on her, and to see what happened. She watched as the phone moved in a patterned circle from the vibrations of his call.   
          She covered her face with her pillow and let it ring… she couldn’t talk to him right now. For the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel safe, and she just wanted to lock herself in her apartment, not speaking to anyone. The phone began to vibrate again and the soft bells of her ringtone echoed in her ear.  _Tom again._  It was easy to ignore his calls with the thoughts that were forming in her head.   
         There were things that no one knew about her… things that could possibly be uncovered if someone dug deep enough… things that could put her life in danger if they came to light. She’d have to leave London and go to a new assignment now, she had no choice. She knew she’d have to break the news to Tom the next night at dinner, and now she had exactly 20 hours to decide how to tell him… 

 


	6. The Deed

                                                     

 

            Tom called exactly 5 more times that night, and Livi was honestly surprised that he didn’t show up at her door. She finally fell asleep there on her fluffy couch, clutching her cactus pillow. 

            As the dim morning light filtered around her curtains, she opened her eyes and stretched like a cat. Even though it was a bright, sunny Sunday morning, she felt a dark storm brewing. Not one in the sky, but a metaphorical storm with large swirling black clouds and lightning strikes that struck every part of her being. Dark memories were flooding back to her, and as much as she tried to block them out, she couldn’t.  
            She grabbed her phone off the table to check the time, and saw a text message.

 

                               8:48 A.M.  
                    Olivia, darling, I’m worried  
                about you. Since you won’t answer  
                 my calls, will you at least reply to  
         my texts? What happened to you last night?  
                                            -T

 

             For a moment, she thought about not even answering his texts, but she felt like she owed him an explanation of what had happened. It was incredibly rude to ditch Tom like she had done, and she felt guilty.

 

                   

                             8:58 A.M.  
            Tom, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for  
               leaving like I did last night.  
                                     -O

 

                            9:01 A.M.  
             By the gods, my dear Olivia  
           lives! Are you okay? Can I still  
                  cook for you tonight?  
                                     -T

 

            She laughed at his mythological reference, and tried to decide whether to let him come over or not. His forgiving nature wasn’t really something that she was used to, and it made him all the more attractive. She sighed as her fingers began typing before her brain even seemed to catch up.

                     

                        9:04 A.M.  
                       Of course.  
                           -O

 

                        9:07 A.M.  
          Lovely! I’ll be there at 7.  
                            -T

 

                  _Was she doing the right thing?_ She  _did_  need to talk to Tom face to face, she supposed. She spent the day cleaning her flat, and when she got bored of doing that she decided to make a dessert. If Tom was cooking, she could at least make dessert. She had no idea what he liked as far as sweets went, so she began to throw together one of her favorites—blueberry shortcake. It was an easy recipe, but it was one of the best things she had ever tasted, and she hoped he’d like it. She baked 3 pans of vanilla cake, and began layering them. In between the layers was a decadent homemade whipped cream, a blueberry sauce, and fresh blueberries. On the top, she garnished the beautiful cake with a handful of the plump, fresh blueberries.  If he didn’t like blueberries, at least it was a stunning cake to look at. 

                                                                

            When the time came, she showered and slid into her favorite pair of distressed blue jeans and a green, long-sleeved t-shirt. She left her hair down in waves, but she didn’t bother with a whole lot of makeup or shoes– she was in her own home, why did she need shoes?   
            At 6:50, she heard a knock on her door. He must be one of those guys that’s perpetually early. She stood on her tip-toes and peeked through her peephole, and what she saw melted her heart.

                                                           

          Tom stood there in his black cardigan (did he own anything else?), looking down at a bundle of beautiful fresh flowers, and as she began to turn the locks on the door, he straightened up and adjusted his thick-rimmed glasses. He had stubble that had grown out since yesterday that clung to his sharp cheekbones, and it was absolutely glorious. Too bad she’d probably have to say goodbye to him.  _Down, girl._  
          She finally got the door open, and his warm smile seemed to smack her right in the face.   
          “Hi. Come in.” Livi said quietly, as he crossed the threshold. No doubt, she had some explaining to do for the way she acted last night.  
          “Hello, you.” He smirked and ducked down to place a kiss on her forehead. “I dropped by the market, and these flowers reminded me of you, so I just had to get them.”  
           “I love them. Thank you.” She blushed as she looked down on the flowers. The most beautiful mix of pink and coral roses, peonies, and sprigs of dark green eucalyptus were wrapped in brown butcher paper, and tied with a very pretty coral-colored ribbon. Their lovely fragrance immediately made her foyer and kitchen smell like a vivid garden. “I’ve never seen more beautiful flowers, Tom, really.” She smiled as she retrieved a light green water pitcher from her cabinet to put them in.    
         “Did you make that? It looks incredible…” He asked as he was distracted by the tall blueberry shortcake on the counter.   
        “I did, thanks to you, I had fresh groceries. I hope you like blueberries.”  
         His eyes were wide as he eyed the dessert. “I love them, thank you, darling.”   
          _That darling thing… and she was just beginning to like that, too._ “Um, Tom… I need to talk to you.”  
         “I know, I can tell something’s the matter. We can talk in a little while. I’ll cook first, I’m positively famished. We can chat while we’re eating.”   
          “Oh… well… okay. How can I help?”   
          He held his other hand out, and in it was an interesting looking dark bottle. “Here. Pour us a couple of glasses of this wine… and that’s it, love. I’ll handle everything else.”  
          “Well… okay.” She stretched to get the wine glasses from the top cabinet, and Tom began to gather things from the refrigerator. She expertly pulled the cork from the bottle of expensive wine, and poured a bit of the light-colored liquid in each stemless wine glass. After she jumped up to take a seat on the counter, she took a sip of the wine.

                                                             

         “Mmm… this wine is marvelous.”  
          Tom laughed. “I have an excellent taste in wine, as a matter of fact.”  
         “Apparently, you do. Look, Tom-”  
          He cleared his throat and kept talking. “The day I picked up that wine, I had a delightful Sunday lunch with my mother and sister. This vineyard had a wonderful sirloin of Herefordshire Beef, and with it I had roast potatoes and Yorkshire Pudding. It was lovely… great wine too. That bottle’s aged several years.” He was stalling at this point, trying to keep her from saying what he  _knew_ she was going to say. “The reason the wine is so good is the way the hills are faced in conjunction with the sun. They get a lot of sunshine, but not the harshness of the northerly wind.”   
          “Tom-”  
          “Olivia. Stop, please. I have a feeling I know what you’re going to say, anyway.”  
          “You  _do_?”  
          “Mmm-hmm… that you don’t want to see me anymore… am I right?” He asked, as he turned on the stove to boil water for the pasta.   
          “No, Tom… well, not exactly.” She sighed as she took another sip of wine. “Last night during intermission, I was in the restroom and a woman approached me and asked if we were dating. She then told me that my photos were all over the internet, with various disgusting headlines accompanying them.”  
          He nodded as Livi watched his jaw clench angrily beneath his skin. “I know, darling… sometimes the things that are said on the internet aren’t very nice. I’m incredibly sorry that you had to read all that.”   
           “It’s not that, Tom… I mean, I don’t like being called fat, or ugly, or beneath your standards… but it goes a lot deeper than that.”   
          He watched as tears began to spring to her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away as for him not to see them.   
          “Oh, Olivia. You’re nowhere  _near_  fat or ugly… and I’m the one that’s probably beneath  _your_ standards. You’re an amazing woman, you’re caring, brilliant, beautiful, and warm.”  
          “Tom, please stop.”  
          He huffed as he put his hands on his slender hips. “Stop what? Complimenting you?”   
          This couldn’t go any further. “I heard of a position opening up in a couple of weeks at a children’s hospital in Washington State. I’m going to take it.”  
         He felt like the breath had been sucked right from his lungs. True, he didn’t know this woman that well, but he’d at least like the  _opportunity_  to.                   “Washington State? Darling, why? You said you still had three months left here at the hospital.”  
          “I know, but I need to get out of London.”  
          “You love London, you said so yourself. I mean, I thought we were friends… possibly more. Are you leaving because of the things that were said about you on the internet? You can’t pay any attention to that stuff, love.”  
           “It’s not that. I’m not that shallow.”   
           Tom approached Livi, still sitting on the counter, stepped in between her legs, and placed his hands on the granite on either side of her hips. “Talk to me then, Olivia. Is it me? Do you not like  _me_?”  
           She looked down to the liquid in her glass, almost uncomfortable with the sudden closeness. She could smell the freshness of his breath from the mint that he had eaten just before getting here, interwoven with the scent of his classic masculine cologne. “It’s not you, Tom. I just…”  
            “Just… what?” He placed his long finger underneath her chin, tilting her face up. “Look at me, Olivia.”  
            She grabbed his wrist and yanked, dislodging his hand from her chin. His assertiveness had made her independent-self angry. “Tom, I have stuff in my past, that I won’t let resurface. I won’t.” She tried to restrain herself from allowing too many memories to flood back, but he could see tears begin to spill over her cheeks.   
            He pulled the wine glass from her hands, placed it on the counter, and took her hands in his. “Not even with me by your side? We can go slow, if you’d like, but I’ll be here. I’ll be a great friend, if nothing else.”  
           She shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.” 

                                                                 

           He wrapped one of her dark waves around his finger before delicately pushing it behind her ear. “Olivia, I really fancy you… more than anyone in a very long time. I’d really like the chance to get to know you… no matter what baggage you might bring with you, love. Will you give me a few hours to show you that before you make this decision?”   
            By this time, his big blue eyes were pleading and she just couldn’t say no. She gently nodded her head in agreement, and he leaned forward to place his lips against hers. As he pushed his tongue into her mouth, he tasted white wine and fresh blueberries, and he heard a tiny moan resonate in her throat as she draped her arms over his shoulders. The corners of his mouth turned up into a smirk as he broke their kiss and he rested his forehead lightly against hers.   
          She closed her eyes, and whispered against his lips. “I was beginning to think that I had dreamt that kiss from before…”   
          “No, darling. You’ve no idea how badly I’ve been wanting to do that again.” He placed his large hands on either side of her face as he tilted her eyes back up to his. “I had to control myself in my dressing room last night. With your face so close to mine… although I will say, the needle in my forehead helped me restrain myself.”  
         “I’ll bet.” She snickered. “You know, I have some bigger needles in my bag in the living room, if you get out of line.” She raised her eyebrows cheekily.  
         “I must keep my gentlemanly ways about me then.” He laughed as he moved back to the stove to drop the pasta in the boiling water. “I don’t want you to make good on that threat. You’re not at all frightened of needles, Olivia?”  
         “No, I’m definitely not frightened of needles.” She giggled.  
         He turned toward her after he placed the chicken in a skillet and began to sear it. “Well, you know one of my biggest fears… what are you afraid of? Anything?”  
          If he only knew. “Hmm… well, I’m not too fond of heights. I don’t really care for clowns either.” She shuddered as she thought of Twisty the Clown from American Horror Story.  
         He smirked as he turned back to the pan to flip the chicken. “Heights aren’t really my thing either, darling. See, we have something in common!”   
         Livi watched Tom work in front of that stove for the next 45 minutes, and 45 minutes wasn’t nearly long enough. She felt a bit guilty for oogling this man like she was, but she just couldn’t help it. She loved his long legs, and the way his slim-cut, dark denim clung to those long legs should have been painted on the Sistene Chapel… yup, it was  _that_  Heavenly.   
         His jeans ended right above a large pair of slate-colored suede boots, and as those boots slid across her floor as he cooked, she tried to come to her senses. She had basically let this man come over to tell him that she couldn’t see him anymore… and yet, she found herself being even more drawn to him. Was it because he was a celebrity? Or because he was one of the nicest men she had ever come across? Or, possibly, could there actually something between them?   
         “Olivia? Did you hear what I said?”  
         “Hmm? I’m sorry…”   
         He flashed her a knowing smile. “I just told you that the food was ready. Where shall we eat?” He asked as he looked around, noticing the absence of a proper dining table.   
         “Oh… I normally sit on a pillow and eat at the coffee table. I’m sorry, with just me here I don’t really have a need for a dining table.”  
          “Ah! No big deal… Top up our wine, and I’ll carry the plates into the living room.”  
          She did as he asked, and placed their glasses on her table as she took a seat on the floor across from him. The scent of the hot dish made her mouth water. “Mmm… that smells wonderful.”   
          “I hope it tastes good.” He winked across at her. “Well, tuck in.”  
          She grabbed her fork, and began to twirl it in her pasta, wrapping it around the metal instrument. She could only describe the taste as divine, as she closed her eyes and savored the food. It had been a long time since she’d had a hot, home-cooked meal as she was a little too used to takeout. “Wow, this is amazing…”  
          “Thank you, darling. I love to cook, but I don’t get much time for it, unfortunately.”   
           “I bet.”   
           The couple enjoyed their meal together, and after everything was washed up and the leftovers were put away, they collapsed onto the couch side by side.   
           “Olivia, tomorrow night after the performance we are all attending a party seeing as how next week is the end of Coriolanus. It’s going to be at the Rosewood Hotel. I’d love for you to attend with me. It’s just a quiet, private affair. I have a friend flying in tomorrow, as well. He’ll be there, and I’d love for you to meet him.”  
          “Oh… Tom, I don’t think I should. Not after last night.”  
          He nodded slowly. “I understand. I was hoping you’d say yes, but I know that last night wasn’t easy for you. I’m still incredibly sorry about that…”  
          She shrugged. “It’s alright. I’ll just have to figure out how to fix it.”  
          “I just hope by ‘fixing it’ you won’t have to tell me goodbye.”  
          “We’ll see, Tom.”  
          He wouldn’t push her to talk to him about things. She would talk when she was ready. All he knew was that he liked her, he was inexplicably drawn to her, and he didn’t want her to say that she couldn’t see him anymore. After all, it wouldn’t be his first relationship to be ruined by paparazzi.  
           Tom wrapped his arm around Livi, and pulled her close allowing her to lay her head on his chest. She had never been with a man that was so touchy-feely, but apparently Tom  _really_  liked the closeness. They really didn’t know each other that well, and Livi would normally never cuddle with a man that she knew so little of, but it felt different with Tom… it felt like she had known him forever, and she was comfortable around him. That hadn’t happened in a very long time. His chest just felt so good… and he  _smelled_ so good… Livi sighed and wished she could just stay in their little safe bubble forever.   
           “Tom?”  
           “Hmm?” He asked as he looked down to her. He deftly moved her soft hair so that he could see her face, and was struck breathless when her golden brown eyes flickered up to his.   
           “Will you kiss me again… please?”   
           He looked at her, surprised for a moment, and dipped his head to hers, fulfilling her wish. He moved his hand to rest against her smooth cheek as their lips moved together, her mouth so warm and inviting, and her lips softer than anything he had experienced before. He let his hand drift from her face down to her neck, leaving goosebumps on her skin from his light touch.  
           “Olivia…” He growled, as he broke their kiss and breathed heavily against her lips.  
           “Hmm?”  
           “You are the most infuriatingly  _confusing_ woman I’ve ever met… and I can’t get enough of you. Where’s your bedroom?”  
          “Down the hall… to the left.”  She barely got the words out, and she felt like she’d flatline just from his voice alone.   
           He stood, before bending down and sliding his hands under her bottom. “Wrap your legs around me, Olivia.”  
          She did as he asked as his lips found hers once more, and held onto his muscular shoulders as he lifted her from the couch, making his way through the living room and down the hall. He paid no attention to anything in her bedroom but her, as he gently laid her down against her dove-colored bedspread. He stripped out of his black cardigan and white t-shirt, discarding it onto her floor and leaving him bare-chested.   
         “Come here, you.” He wrapped his hands around her wrists and pulled her up, making her giggle. “Olivia, look at me. Do you want this?”  
         “I do.” If nothing else, she’d at least have a little fun with him before she left. She’d let herself have that.  
         He grinned and let his fingers drift beneath her shirt, pulling it up and over her head, throwing it to the small pile of clothing he had started on the floor. He was surprised to see a large tattoo on her ribcage of a black and grey anatomical heart, with gorgeous, rich pink and yellow flowers covering the bottom part of it. “That’s stunning… and not at  _all_  what I expected.” He stood there dumbfounded for a moment, just taking in this new part of her.  
         She felt heat spread across her face, as the blush made its way across her cheeks. “Oh… yeah… I have more, you just can’t see them unless I’m naked. With my job, I can’t really have anything that shows.” It had been so long since Olivia had been nude with a man, much less intimate with one, and she almost couldn’t formulate words. She didn’t think anyone but the tattoo artist had seen the heart tattoo, as she got it in Japan before she came to London, and she certainly hadn’t taken her clothes off for anyone since arriving here. It was her newest piece of art, and she loved it.  
          Tom looked at her artwork, which was lovely, but the body it rested on was even more perfect than he had pictured. She sat before him in a sheer, mauve bra that had a sweet, tiny pink bow between her breasts, and he immediately felt a stirring in his pants that was beginning to grow uncomfortable. He stood there for another moment looking at her before she brought him back to reality.   
          “What are you staring at?” She asked, as she brought her arms across her chest self-consciously.   
         “Oh, no, darling… don’t do that. You’re absolutely exquisite.” He could tell that she was nervous, and he placed his hands on her shoulders in reassurance. His eyes drifted to her other side, and on it rested a tattoo of a beautiful angel draped over an intricately carved piece of marble… and she was weeping. It was lovely and heartbreaking, all at the same time – and he had seen that before. “I know that statue… it’s in New Orleans.”

                                                  

            She nodded slowly. “That’s where I was born.” There wasn’t any point in trying to lie.  
           _Finally, he felt like he was getting somewhere._ “Ah. I see. Lovely city.”  
           “Sort of.” She shrugged, before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back down on top of her. “I don’t want to think about New Orleans right now…”   
           She enjoyed the weight of him on top of her… like nothing could hurt her with him there. As they made love, they realized that not only were they drawn together outside of the bedroom, they were a perfect match  _in_  the bedroom. They fit together like they were meant for just that, and they were both amazed at the way they felt as they found their climaxes together. They peacefully fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms, Livi’s head against Tom’s bare chest.  
           The next morning, her normal phone alarm went off waking her. For a moment, she panicked as she realized that she had woken up in someone’s arms.  _What had she done? She let her body control her, when her mind should’ve been in control._ She slipped out of her bed, and went into her bathroom to shower. After all, she had to get ready for work. She quietly applied her makeup, and ran her fingers through her wet hair. She didn’t want to risk waking Tom with the blow-dryer. She went into her closet and picked out a tweed dress, with a denim shirt underneath. She finished it off with black tights, black booties, and some jewelry.

                                                          

         She thought that she could possibly sneak out without Tom knowing. She didn’t want to face the whole morning-after situation.  _He could just let himself out, right?_ She grabbed her doctor’s bag and her handbag, but quickly realized she had left her cell phone in the bedroom.  _Shit._  
         She tip-toed into the room, and noticed that Tom was still sleeping peacefully in her bed. He was gorgeous and perfect, even in his sleep.  _Fucking cheekbones of a god… damn him._  She walked to the bedside table and grabbed her phone, quietly turning around to tip-toe back out.   
         She heard a husky, sleepy voice come from behind her. “You’re not trying to sneak out on me, are you, darling?”   
         She pivoted on her feet. “Of course not… I just… I have to go to work, and I didn’t want to wake you.”   
         “Mmm-hmm… Come here for a moment, love.”  
         She obliged, after placing her bags on the floor. She sat beside him on the bed, and watched as he grabbed her hand and brought it to his mouth for a kiss. “Last night was amazing, Olivia. Thank you…”  
         She diverted her eyes from his to their joined hands.   
         “What’s wrong? Did you not enjoy last night?”   
         “No, I did… I just… this is all moving so fast. Are you not scared, Tom?”   
         “Of course I’m scared. Anytime you put your heart out there, there’s a chance of getting it broken… and yes, this is moving rather quickly. I trust my instincts, darling, and I am feeling things that I have never felt before.”   
        She nodded softly as she noticed the way the grey sheet draped over his lean, muscular lower half. The same lower half she became very well acquainted with last night. “Um… I need to get to work, Tom. Make yourself at home… just lock the door when you leave, please.”    
        He nodded as he watched her grab her bags and wave over her shoulder. There were things that he still wanted to say to her, and he wished that they could have just stayed in bed and relived the previous night over and over again. He slipped out of her comfortable bed and back into his white boxer shorts, and within a few seconds, he heard the front door slam behind her. His stomach clenched when he realized he didn’t ask her if she had made her decision about Washington… He hoped he had done enough to make her stay.

                                                                         

 


	7. Roses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love you all... <3

 

**After slipping back into his jeans, Tom fell back into Livi’s fluffy bed and pondered the night before. The way her soft skin felt against his… how she sounded as he pleasured her… the way the beautiful ink on her sides moved as she squirmed in her bed… the way she smelled as he buried his nose in her hair – like roses and amber. He could smell that scent all around him. Her pillows smelled of it, her sheets… and now him. He knew that he probably needed a shower before he left the flat, but he couldn’t bear to wash her off.**

**Her bedroom was rather bare, spare for a mirrored bedside table. On it, was a photo of herself and another woman. The other woman laid her head on Livi’s shoulder, and they were in front of a beautiful lake. He made a mental note to ask her who this other woman was later. She couldn’t hide herself from him forever, could she?**

 

 

**He swung his legs over the side of the bed, and padded into the kitchen to find some food. He couldn’t believe that things were progressing as quickly as they were with Olivia. He really liked her, and hoped that she wouldn’t be scared off by the feelings that he knew were beginning to develop. He made himself an egg, sunny side up, and a couple pieces of toast, that he enjoyed while sitting on her couch. He chuckled to himself as he looked around the living room. What was he thinking, getting involved with a woman that could potentially hurt him? Although, if he _was_ going to be hurt, he’d prefer it to be by a woman like Olivia. **

**His phone rang and vibrated against the coffee table. When he looked at the screen, he could see that it was a Facetime Call. “Oh, Chris H. wants to facetime with me, does he?”**

**He accepted the call and watched as a large blond man came into view on the screen.**

**“Hey, Mate!”**

**“Hello, Chris!”**

**“Where in the world are you?” Chris asked as he looked at Tom’s background. The last he knew, Tom didn’t have a picture of Audrey Hepburn hanging on his wall.**

**“Oh, uh… I’m at Olivia’s flat… a woman I met.”**

**“Ah, yes, I saw her on the internet.”**

**“She wasn’t too fond of having her name and picture all over the gossip sites.”**

**“I can imagine not. That’s hard for some people to handle.”**

**Tom nodded but diverted his eyes to the bookshelf.**

**“Anyway, I’ll be landing soon.”**

**“Are you sure you don’t want me to come pick you up at the airport?”**

**“No… no…I’m renting a car. I’ve got some things to do while I’m in London.”**

**“Well, alright, then. See you a little later.”**

**“Later, mate.”**

**They ended the call, and he finished eating and washed his dishes, leaving the kitchen as clean as it was before he started cooking. He needed to get a move on, as he had to get to rehearsal. He had a performance tonight, and a party afterward. He quickly slipped back into his t-shirt and black cardigan, pulled his suede boots on, and made his way out the door, making sure to lock it on the way out.**

*********

**Olivia made her way through London traffic to the hospital, and pulled into her parking spot in the parking garage. She pulled her coat and bags from the passenger seat, locked her car, and walked toward the hospital entrance. She tried not to think about Tom. She tried to not think about how glorious it felt to have his weight on top of her… and she tried not to think about how warm and affectionate he had been the night before. She had done so well as to stay out of relationships until now… _what was she thinking?_ She was letting herself begin to fall in love with this man, and as hard as she tried to decide to go to Washington, she just couldn’t. It had been so easy to run away before… but she couldn’t make up her mind to run away this time.**

**“Morning, Doc.”**

**“Morning, Claire. When’s my first appointment?” She asked as she slipped into her white doctor’s coat.**

**“8:30.”**

**Olivia looked at her watch, which read 8:10 a.m. “Thank goodness. I need some coffee. Can I bring you some?”**

**“I don’t think so, Doc.”**

**After returning from the cafeteria with a large cup of coffee, Olivia took a seat in her office and began doing some paperwork before her first appointment arrived. Her phone vibrated in the pocket of her doctor’s coat. She bit her lip as the name ‘Thomas H.’ appeared on her phone.**

**8:21 A.M.**

**I hope you made it to work safely.**

**I noticed the traffic’s a bit congested**

**this morning. I made myself an egg,**

**and let myself out. Don’t fret, I**

**locked the door behind me. Have**

**a lovely day, Olivia. If you change**

**your mind about the party, let me know.**

**-TH**

**She sighed. She wished she could go to the party with Tom, but things just weren’t that simple. Her life would never be that simple.**

**8:24 A.M.**

**Thanks, Tom. I’m glad you had breakfast.**

**I’m sorry that I tried to leave without**

**waking you this morning. I’m terrible**

**with these morning after things. I had a**

**great night last night… with you.**

**-O**

**8:28 A.M.**

**I had a fantastic time with you too, Olivia.**

**When can I see you again? Hopefully I won’t**

**have to fly all the way to Washington to do it?**

**-TH**

**She smiled as she replied to his text.**

**8:30 A.M.**

**No, I’ve decided to finish out my time here in London. I’ll**

**be here for 3 more months at least, but then I can’t**

**promise anything. I‘ll have to go where I’m called.**

**Have a good day, Tom. Break a leg tonight.**

**-O**

**She turned her phone on silent as she saw her first few patients – including twin toddlers with colds, 2 babies with ear infections, and a teenager with a broken wrist. When she finished putting the boy’s arm in a cast, she went to the nurse’s station outside the door to fill in some of her charts.**

**“Olivia, you’ve got a visitor… he’s been waiting in your office for a while now.” Claire said as she approached Livi from the back.**

**Her stomach dropped. “A visitor? Who is it?”**

**“You’d never believe me if I told you.”**

**Livi huffed. “Oh, I bet I would… with the way my luck has been going… So? Who is it?”**

**“Chris Hemsworth.” Claire giggled.**

**“Who?”  
            “Oh my gosh, Olivia. Chris Hemsworth! Thor!”**

**“Ohh… Why would _he_ be in my office?”**

**Claire shrugged. “I don’t know. This is the second hot actor you’ve had in here in the last two weeks. Maybe I need to be asking for your secrets…”**

**“Uh… no, it’s not like that.” Livi said as she slowly walked toward the closed door of her office. She knocked lightly before poking her head in and eyed the very large actor sitting in one of the chairs in front of her desk. She extended her hand to him.**

**“Hello, Mr. Hemsworth. I’m Olivia Beckett. What can I do for you today?”**

**“Oh, please call me Chris. It’s wonderful to meet you, Dr. Beckett.”**

**Her eyebrows raised in question as she stared at this blond man that was nearly as tall as a tree. His accent was definitely Australian. She recognized it from her time in Brisbane.**

**“Oh, I’ll bet you’re wondering what I’m doing here.”**

**“As a matter of fact, I am.” She smiled at him. “Take a seat, please.” She motioned to the chair before closing her office door. “It’s not every day that I get famous actors in my office.”**

**“Ah, yes...” He hesitated, and seemed almost uncomfortable. “Dr. Beckett,-”**

**“Please, call me Olivia.”**

**He grinned a wide, white smile. “Okay, Olivia… I, uh… I just wanted to meet the woman that my best friend was falling for.”**

**“Your best friend?” Suddenly, she remembered Tom saying something about his friend flying in today. _Surprise!_ “I assume you mean Tom.”**

**“Yes. He won’t stop talking about you. He has no idea I’m here, by the way, so let’s keep it between us, please.”**

**“Hmm… how did you find me, if he doesn’t even know you’re here?”**

**He chuckled. “Well, it wasn’t that hard. Your picture and name is all over the internet.”**

**“Oh, yeah… _that_.” She had been so wrapped up in Tom the last couple of days that she had momentarily forgotten about the internet thing.**

**“I hope you don’t think I’m being too forward, I just wanted to meet you. He said you weren’t going to attend the performance and party tonight.”**

**“Uh… no. Bad things seem to happen when I go to the Donmar.”**

**He smiled. “So, you’re a physician. You seem to be doing well for yourself. Tom said you were a travelling doctor, so you’d probably only be in London for three more months.”**

**Olivia looked down at her hands that were folded in her lap. “That’s what I do, Chris. My job is to travel. Sometimes I’m in a place for 3 months, or 6 months… or a year. Depending on how long a hospital needs me.”**

**He nodded, and gazed out of the fourth floor window that was in her office. Olivia could tell that there was more he wanted to say, but he didn’t know how. She looked at her watch. “Chris, I don’t mean to be rude, but I have an appointment at 1, and it’s 12:58… can you get to the real reason you’re here?”**

**“I just wanted to chat for a moment. Tom’s a very sensitive guy. He falls in love easily, and gets his heart broken even more easily…”**

**“… and you think _I’m_ going to break his heart?” She looked at him, unbelieving.**

**“I didn’t say that, I just… I’m tired of seeing him get hurt by women that either can’t handle the spotlight… or use him for his money. I want him to be happy. If you think that you’ll have to leave soon, or foresee any other problems, please don’t lead him on. He also mentioned something about a guy friend of yours that came with you to the performance the other night? Is that all he is, a friend?”**

**Olivia stared at Chris with her mouth agape. She couldn’t believe what he was saying to her. Really, anyone would be lucky to have a friend that cared for them enough to do something like this, but it just made her angry that he had the nerve to come to her office and accuse her of leading Tom on. She huffed and squeezed the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger.**

**“I know you have the best of intentions, Chris, but don’t you think that Tom’s old enough to handle his own business?”**

**“Of course. I’m just tired of seeing him upset, like I said.”**

**Livi walked to her door, opened it, and looked at Chris expectantly. “Okay, well, you’re going to have to excuse me, I need to get back to work.”**

**“I’m sorry if I offended you. I’m just looking out for my friend.”**

**She smiled. “You just accused me of being a gold-digger, a cheater, _and_ a bad person… why would that offend me?”**

**He stood up and put his hands up in surrender. “Olivia, I didn’t mean that, please-…”**

**“I need to get to work.”**

**Chris sighed before nodding his head in defeat. “Well, thank you for your time.”**

**Livi watched him walk out of her door, and didn’t take her eyes off of him until he was successfully out of the clinic.**

**“What was that about, Doc? He looked angry.”**

**“Apparently, he’s Tom’s best friend. He came to size me up… and make sure I wasn’t going to hurt him.”**

**“Ohh… well, that only means one thing.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “You slept with Tom… Usually, men only get crazy when sex is involved.”**

**“Claire! That’s _none_ of your business!” **

**The blond nurse snickered. “You go from having no excitement in your life to _this_ …”**

**Livi groaned as she went back into her office, closing the door behind her. Her good mood was quickly fading. It had been much too easy for Chris to find her, and when he did he accused her of some crazy things. She hoped this day would be over quickly so that she could go home, and lock herself in her flat with that carton of ice cream she saw in her freezer.**

*********

 

**Fortunately, that’s just the way the rest of the day went. Livi tried to block the events of the day from her mind as she shut herself inside of her flat. This was the first time in a long time that she went home after work and didn’t _think_ about work. Most of the time she’d think about working A &E or finishing her charts for the day, but not today… She was ready for this day to be over with. She spent the night painting her nails a deep, blood red, watching television and dozing on her couch, as she hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before. **

**Her thoughts drifted to Tom. She hoped he was having fun at his party, and she wondered if Chris had come clean to him about coming to her workplace today. She bet he hadn’t.**

**She sighed as she turned off the t.v. It was getting late, and she knew that two nights of little sleep would be a bad thing. She changed into her favorite thing to sleep in -- a burgundy, silk, cropped top and matching short shorts. The set felt like butter on her skin, and she didn’t care that it was winter in London, she wore it anyway.**

**She turned off all the lights except for the bathroom light, which she left on every night (she was much too big of a chicken to sleep in pitch darkness) and slid into her comfy bed. Twenty-four hours ago things were very different in this bedroom, as it was now quiet. She drifted off to sleep easily in the middle of her big bed, and she could have sworn that she still smelled Tom on her sheets.**

*********

 

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

**Livi shot straight up in her bed, as the sound of someone banging on her front door had woken her with a start. With her eyes half closed, she reached into her bedside table’s drawer, and fiddled around until she retrieved her small, Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum revolver pistol. Her hands shook as she made sure that there were bullets in it.**

**She crept toward the entrance, but jumped every time the person pounded on the door. ‘This person was very insistent,’ Livi thought as she steadied herself. Although she really, really didn’t want to, he was prepared to shoot if she needed to.**

**She tip-toed as quietly as she could, and finally made it to the peep-hole. Slowly, she moved her head over until her eye lined up with the hole. ‘What the fuck?’ she whispered, as she saw who was on the other side.**

 

 

**“Tom?” She questioned, as she opened the door for her guest. “What the hell are you doing beating down my door in the middle of the night?”**

**“I jhust wanted to shee you, darling…” He slurred his words as he leaned against the door frame, and his eyes began to wander her silk clad body. “You look sho beautiful…”**

**“How much have you had to drink, Tom?” She asked him, wanting to giggle out loud. He would feel terrible later, but right now he was too damn cute in his nice suit, swaying back and forth to keep him balance.**

**“Mm… just… just a little. May I come in?”**

**She nodded as she stepped out of the way, allowing him to enter the flat. His eyes went straight to the revolver she was carrying.**

**“Whoa… what do you think you’re going to do with that?”**

**“Protect myself! I thought you were… were… somebody... bad. I’m going to go put it up. Stay right there.”**

**He leaned against the wall in the entryway, and immediately regretted the amount of alcohol he had consumed that night. His head was spinning, and he felt like his stomach could lurch from his mouth at any moment. He watched Olivia walk back toward him, and he narrowed his eyes to see if he could focus on her swinging hips in that burgundy lingerie, but it seemed like he was seeing double.**

**She moved up beside him and grabbed his arm. “Come on, Captain Morgan, can you make it to the couch?”**

**“I believe I can…”**

**She laughed under her breath as she helped him make his way to the couch. He was a lot heavier than he looked! He plopped down onto the fluffy couch and laid his head back against the cushion. “Let’s get you out of that jacket and tie, shall we? You’ll feel better.” He nodded as he sat up and let her help him remove his jacket. “There. Now, lay down.”**

**He smiled as he reclined onto the pillows. For the first time tonight he was starting to feel better. He sighed as she laid a cold, wet, washcloth against his hot forehead. “That feels lovely, darling.”**

**“Mmm-hmm… I figured it would.” She said as her fingers went to work on his tie. She pulled it one way, and then the other to loosen it before undoing the complicated knot it was in, and pulling it from his neck. She laid it on top of his jacket and rested them on the armrest on the other end of the couch.**

**She sat back on the floor beside him and moved the cold cloth around, letting it rest on one cheek before moving it to the other, and finally down his neck. She unbuttoned the first few buttons of his dress shirt, and let the cool cloth dip beneath the confines of the cotton. She ran it over one strong shoulder, before running it over the other, and down his chest.**

**“You’re so perfect, Olivia…”**

**She scoffed. “Oh, far from it.” She winked at him as he looked up at her.**

**She rubbed his skin with the cloth for a few more moments, and she could have sworn that Tom was asleep. So much so, that she jumped when he spoke again.**

**“Oh, I won an award… they taped my shcpeech tonight… Elle’s Man of the Year…”**

**“Wow, Tom! That’s wonderful! I can see how they’d name you Man of the Year. You’re pretty amazing…”**

**“You think I’m amazing?” He grinned.**

**“I do. I just hope you recorded that acceptance speech before you got wasted.”**

**“Yes… well, I _think_ I did. We shall see. Oh, and Olivia? You’re amazing too, darling.” **

**She smiled at him and left the cloth resting against his neck, and moved to his feet. She removed one of his shoes and socks, before removing the other, and as she placed them on the floor she heard him snoring softly. She pulled her soft pink crochet blanket up over him, tucking it underneath his chin and walked back into her bedroom. For some reason, she felt so much more comfortable with Tom here, even if he was inebriated. She liked the feeling of knowing he was just right there, in the other room. She went to sleep peacefully, feeling his strong presence in her flat... after all, it had been far too long since she had felt that…**


	8. Honesty is the Best Policy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **PLEASE NOTE this chapter includes graphic depictions of abuse! If that is triggering for you, please don't read any further!** Thank ya'll for reading! <3 C

                                                        

 

**Tom moved his head from side to side, and it pounded like someone had taken up residence in there with a pair of bongos. _Why was he still wearing his suit? Oh, he shouldn’t have drunk as much as he did last night._ He groaned and rolled to his side, burying his face in the pillow. Immediately, he recognized the scent as being Olivia’s. _He was at Olivia’s?_ His eyes opened quickly. He looked around the spinning living room, and saw that his jacket and tie were on the armrest of the couch, his shoes and socks were neatly placed on the floor, and he was covered up with a light pink crochet blanket. That _definitely_ wasn’t his.   His now wrinkled dress shirt was partially unbuttoned, and as he ran his fingers along his neck he remembered the kindness Olivia had shown him the night before.           **

**He could hear a skillet’s crackle in the kitchen and before he knew it, he smelled bacon… mmm, yes, bacon _and_ coffee. He slowly sat up, holding his head in his hands. _Pound. Pound. Pound._ “Shit…” He muttered under his breath. He hoped he hadn’t embarrassed himself last night.**

**** **“Good morning.” She spoke quietly. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to wake up.”**

**His attention was pulled to the entrance of the living room, and he watched her as she glided toward him. Her hair was left down in shiny, dark brown waves, and she wore light make-up. She looked lovely in her dark jeans, a thin, cream-colored sweater with navy dots, and brown booties. She wore her watch and bracelets on her wrist, and in her hand was a large steaming cup of what Tom prayed was coffee.**

**“Here you go, coffee and ibuprofen. I think you’ll be needing these.”**

**“Oh, yes… you’re an angel.” Tom gladly took the pills from her palm and took them with a sip of hot coffee.**

**“Hardly. I also cooked some breakfast. Feel up to eating?”**

**“I think so. Look, I’m incredibly sorry about last night. I’m not quite sure how I ended up here. I hope I didn’t make a fool of myself.” He looked up at her, still squinting from the sun.**

**She wanted to giggle at Tom’s appearance, but she wouldn’t dare. He looked like he had been through a lot, with his wrinkled shirt and wild, rumpled hair. She had to admit that even like that, he was still so handsome, maybe even more so. “No, you were a perfect gentleman.”**

**He breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.”**

**“Did you have any doubt?”**

**“Well… no, but it does help to hear that I behaved myself.”**

**She smiled and extended her hand, helping him up off the couch. “Come on, Mr. Man of the Year, I’m sure you’re hungry.”**

**He gratefully accepted her help, and followed her into the kitchen. “If this is how the Man of the Year feels, then I’m not sure I want to be him.”**

**She giggled. “Oh, you poor thing…”**

**“Shouldn’t you be at work? I’m not even sure what time it is…”**

**“It’s nine. My first appointment isn’t until ten fifteen, so as long as I’m there by then, it’ll be okay. I wanted to make sure you’d make it through the night.” She teased and handed him a plate.**

**“Yes… thank you for being so kind to me last night. You should have just booted me out of the door.”**

**“Oh, no… I wouldn’t do that.”**

**“Oh, no? That’s good to know.” He winked as he used a fork to plop some cantaloupe, eggs, and a couple pieces of bacon onto his plate, before kissing her forehead and padding back into the living room.**

**She couldn’t shake the feeling that this seemed so natural. The way he made himself at home and kissed her on the forehead… it felt undeniably right. Livi took a deep breath and shook her head. _What had she gotten into?_  **

**She grabbed a plate for herself and put some toast and fruit on it. She poured her very own cup of the strong coffee, and took a seat by Tom on the couch.  “So… your award? That’s amazing.” She made small talk.**

**He smiled at her, as he had already begun to feel better. “It is. Although, I couldn’t be there for the actual ceremony. They sent a man to record my speech for me. I was quite nervous about it…”**

**“Does that account for the drinking?”**

**He nodded as he took a bite of bacon. “Yes, probably. I don’t normally drink like that. After all, I’m 33. I’m much too old for that now.” He joked, causing her to laugh out loud.**

**“Mmm… yeah, that _is_ old. You’re practically ancient.” **

**“How old are _you_ , Olivia?”**

**“I’m 29. I’ll be 30 in January.”**

**“Ah, see? You’re still a young bird…”**

**She smiled at him as she took a bite of her toast. “Some days it doesn’t feel like it…”**

**“Can I ask you a question?” He looked at her quizzically.**

**_She didn’t know what to say. She supposed that if he was going to be hanging around, then there’d be questions._ “Um… I suppose so…”**

**“The photo that’s beside your bed… who is the blonde woman?”**

**She sighed. “That’s my little sister, Emilie. She’s 4 years younger than me. She got married a couple of years ago to a great guy… Ben.”**

**“You have a sister? Where does she live?”**

**“Um, Alaska. She’s a kindergarten teacher.”**

**“Alaska?” He asked, surprised. “That’s quite a long way from New Orleans. How’d she find her way there?”**

**Livi cleared her throat and grabbed her coffee. “Look, Tom, I really need to get to work.”**

**He watched as she sulked through the living room and heard her put her plate into the sink. She then quickly pulled her red peacoat from the closet and slipped into it.**

**“Olivia, I’m sorry if I pried. I just want to know more about you.”**

**“There’s a lot you can learn about me without digging into the things that you _know_ I’m not comfortable talking about.”**

**“Yes, for instance I can tell what your favorite color is…” He mentioned as he held up one of her pink pillows. “I can see that your favorite movie is The Notebook, judging by the wear on that DVD case over there.” He nodded toward the open cabinet that her TV was housed in. “You wear Aerin’s Bamboo Rose perfume, and you smile so sweetly in your sleep. Olivia, I _am_ learning about you. Of course, those things are obvious. I also want to know things about you that aren’t that obvious. I want to know what makes you _you_.”**

**She could feel wetness spring to her eyes, as a man had never spoken to her that way before. _She ought to let him in._**

**“Just lock up when you leave, please, Tom.”**

**His mouth fell open as if he wanted to say something else, but he didn’t. He just watched her walk out one more time. He let her go.**

                                                                                                        ***************** 

**Olivia felt terrible. She wiped the tears from her face, trying not to smear her subtle winged eyeliner, as she plopped down into her car. _What was wrong with her?_ She had this amazing man who was interested in her… he was devastatingly handsome, rare, caring, brilliant… and she couldn’t open up to him. She knew she wouldn’t be able to keep him if she stayed at arm’s length. She had never been in this position, because she always dumped every guy that started to get too close. There was something special about Tom… something that she needed in her life. Now, she had to decide if he was worth opening old wounds for. **

**She picked up her cell phone and dialed a number. It rang four times before it was answered.**

**“Livi… Everything okay?” A groggy female voice answered.**

**“Hey, sis. I’m so sorry to call you. I know it’s after midnight there.”**

**“It’s fine. Are you okay?”**

**“I’m fine, Emmy. I just needed to talk to you.” She hesitated, before uttering her next words. “I met someone.”**

**“You… _what_? Wait, I’m gonna go to the other room… I don’t want to wake Ben.” Livi listened as her sister quietly went into their living room. “Livi, you met someone?” **

**“Yeah, I… I met him here at the clinic. He’s different and great… and I’m so scared. I don’t know if I can do this.” She said quietly, before a new set of tears threatened to fall.**

**“Oh, honey… You really like him?”**

**“I do… I’ve never met anyone like him.”**

**“Does he know about… everything… that happened?”**

**“No, I can’t bring myself to talk to him about it. Anytime he asks questions, I get so uncomfortable.”**

**“I know it’s hard, Livi, but if you want this relationship to work, you’re gonna have to be honest with him… and if he really likes you too, he’ll listen and try to understand.”**

**“I know. I still get so upset about it, though.”**

**“I know you do. I do too. I’m happy for you, though. You’ve finally found a guy that you really like… that’s awesome!”**

**“Yeah… I’ll just have to think a little more about all this. I’ll let you get back to sleep, sis. Thanks for talking to me. I’m sorry I woke you up…”**

**“It’s fine, Livi. Let me know how things go. I love you.”**

**“I love you too, Emmy.”**

**She disconnected the call, shook off her chill from the cold air, and headed toward the hospital for another day at work. She was met with an inquisitive friend when she entered the clinic.**

**“This is the first time you’ve ever been late, doc…”**

**“Mmm-hmm… I had something I needed to take care of this morning. I texted you a while ago and told you that I’d be coming in late.”**

**“I know… there must be a really good reason.” She dug deeper when Livi ignored her. “So… what’s the reason?”**

**Livi rolled her eyes at the blond nurse. “I just… I had company. What’s with everyone digging for information today?”**

**“There’s only one person that I can think of, besides me, that would be at your flat and digging for information. You and Tom must really be getting along well. You’ve been spending tons of time with him.”**

**“He’s a great guy, Claire. He is. I just don’t know if I’m willing to go there with him yet. It’s been so long since I’ve given anyone a chance.”**

**“…and that’s precisely why you _should_. He’s hot, he seems sweet and caring… plus, he’s famous. What more do you want, Livi?” **

**Livi shrugged as Claire grabbed a chart from the counter. “I’ll bring your first patient back.”**

**“Thanks, Claire.” Livi knew that Claire was right. She couldn’t ask for a better man than Tom. To truly _be_ with him, however, she’d have to talk to him. She couldn’t let these secrets continue to be a roadblock between them. **

                                                                                                       ********************

**Tom had been going about his day. After leaving Livi’s flat, he made his way back to his. His head still ached from the night before, but he felt much better after two strong cups of hot, strong coffee, ibuprofen, and a plate full of breakfast. He looked at his phone, hoping to see a call or text from Olivia, but the only thing he saw was that at 2% battery, it was nearly dead. He plugged his iPhone into the wall charger beside his bed, and laid it on the wooden night stand. ‘Might as well have a shower,’ he thought, and stripped his wrinkled suit from his body.  Just as he was placing his suit pants into his ‘dry-clean’ hamper, a ding from his phone called his attention to it.**

 

**10:49 A.M.**

 

**After your performance tonight, would you**

**come over? I’d like to talk to you, Tom. If**

**you don’t want to, I understand, but I’d like**

**for you to give me a chance. Please.**

**I need to do this slowly.**

**-O**

 

**10:51 A.M.**

**Of course, I’ll come over. It will**

**be late, but I’ll bring food… and**

**I’m okay with slow.**

**-T**

 

 

**She suddenly felt a tense ball in the pit of her stomach, and that ball doubled in size throughout the day. The day went by quickly, however, and before she knew it, she was at home in her quiet flat. Tom said he’d bring food, but it would be late because it would be after his Coriolanus performance, so she just had a little snack at dinner time. Her nervous stomach prevented her from eating much, anyway.**

**She took a hot shower, washed her face and hair, and painted her nails a beautiful deep burgundy color called ‘Plum Noir.’ After they were dry, she pulled her turquoise, striped, thermal PJ’s from Victoria’s Secret on, and dried her hair. Anything to pass the time until Tom came over. She watched the clock tick by, until at 12:21 A.M. she heard a knock on her door. She breathed deeply, and peeked out of the door’s peephole. _Yup, Tom. And just as gorgeous as ever._**

**** **“Hi.” She smiled at him, when she opened the door.**

**“Hello, you.” He took a step toward her and dipped his head, placing his lips against hers. “I’ve been wanting to do that all day.”**

**Livi felt warmth creep into her cheeks, where the blush was beginning to spread. He had completely taken her by surprise by doing that, and immediately the knot that had filled her stomach began to recede.**

**“That smells amazing…” She said, as the smell of the food he had brought filled her nose.**

**“I hope it’s good. I went to a place called The Hungry Donkey. Heard of it?”**

**“Um, no. I haven’t…” She giggled.**

**“It’s Greek… I hope you like it. The place isn’t far from here, actually.” He said as he walked into the living room and began to place containers of food onto her coffee table.  Truth be told, he was as nervous as she was. He had no idea what she would tell him, and he didn’t know how it would affect the advancement of their relationship. “I didn’t know what you liked, so I got a little of everything… Tzatziki, warm bread, greek salad, olives, chicken souvlaki skewers, feta bougiourdi, and some chicken and vegetarian pita wraps…”**

**“Oh, Tom… we can’t eat all this food, and it must have cost a fortune!”**

**“Like I said, I didn’t know what you’d like… just eat what you want. We’ll put the leftovers in your refrigerator.” He smiled as he went to her kitchen and poured the pair a glass of wine each.**

**They sat on her floor and shared the food. It had been a long time since she had tasted Greek food… for some reason, it tasted even better with Tom. Livi had some tzatziki with warm bread, salad, a chicken skewer, some of the cheese, and the vegetarian pita wrap… she was absolutely stuffed. They each had two refills of wine with dinner, and now a third as they plopped down onto the couch together.**

**Livi and Tom made small talk for a while. He asked her about her day at the clinic, and told her about his performance. After a moment of silence, he placed his hand against her cheek and guided her face to his for a sweet kiss. “Olivia, what are you so scared of? Please tell me.” He whispered against her lips. “Let me in, darling.”**

**Livi sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. She could already feel hot tears threatening to fall. “Tom, I’m not good at this relationship stuff…”**

**“It’s alright. Who are you scared of? Why do you have a gun in your bedroom?” He looked at her, urging her to continue.**

**_It’s now or never. She knew this was a breaking point._ “My father. I’m scared of my father.” _There, now it’s out there._**

**“Your… _father_? Why, love?”**

**“It’s a really long story…”**

**“… and we’ve got all night.” Tom said, as he pulled her a little closer.**

**“Where to start? I guess the beginning is a good place. My father was an alcoholic, and he was a very, very mean drunk. When he wasn’t drinking, he was okay, but those times were few and far between. Sometimes he’d beat my momma, but usually he’d rather hit my sister and me. I got the brunt of it because I was older… I always told him that I’d rather he beat me than my sister, because she was so little.”**

**“Darling, I’m so sorry…-”**

**“One night, he came home way too intoxicated, and pulled a wire coat hanger from the closet. He beat me with that thing over and over… he wouldn’t stop…” Livi paused to wipe the tears from her cheeks. “My momma stepped in and told him to stop. He did stop, but then he turned his attention toward her. It was so bad, Tom… she just screamed… and I couldn’t do anything to help her. I snuck into my sister’s room, and told her that we needed to leave… we snuck out of her window, and I led her to a neighbor’s house. They called the police.”**

**Tom’s brows furrowed as he listened to Livi’s story. He was trying to hold back tears of his own. “What about your mother? Was she alright?”**

**Livi buried her face in his chest and let out the emotions she had been holding in for years. At that moment, he knew the answer to his question. He just held her tightly and stroked her hair until she calmed down.**

**“He told the police that she fell and hit her head on the edge of the bathtub. But… everyone knew that wasn’t the case. They could see that he had been hitting her… and when the police picked us up from the neighbor’s, they saw our bruises. They arrested him, and my sister and I went to live with my grandmother. When I turned 18, I moved out, got a job, entered college, and legally adopted my sister. She’s the only family I have now.”**

**“Did your father have a trial?”**

**“Um… yeah. They eventually charged him with manslaughter instead of murder. He made them believe that it was done in the heat of the moment and that we all provoked him, that we made his blood boil… he got 18 years in prison. It was bullshit. He swore that when he got out he’d come and find us…”**

**“Oh, my dear. I am so sorry, that’s terrible. How old were you?”**

**“I was 10… Emilie was 6.”**

**“So that means he got out of prison-”**

**“Last year.”**

**“That explains why you decided to be a travelling doctor. You didn’t want to stay in one place long enough for him to find you.”**

**Livi nodded her head.**

**“Oh, no…” Tom leaned forward and placed his head in his hands. “That’s why it upset you so much for your name and picture to be all over the internet. _I_ put you in danger.”**

**“It’s not your fault, Tom. Really, it’s not. You had no idea.”**

**“… and _that’s_ why you’re so scared of being in a relationship. You don’t want that to happen to you. Oh, Olivia.” He stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb, and looked into her golden-brown eyes. “My darling, I’d never, ever do that to you.”**

**“I know.” She said as she wiped more tears from her face. “It’s just so hard to talk about.”**

**“I’m so sorry, love. I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you.”**

**She shrugged. “It taught me a lot. I tried to make a good life for myself, despite everything. I knew that I wanted to help children, which is why I became a pediatrician. I’m okay, but those old wounds hurt.”**

**“I know, darling. Come here.” He pulled her to lay her head on his chest, and he let his nose drift to her soft, dark hair. He worried about what that meant for their relationship. If they were going to be together, it would mean there would be a lot more pictures of her online and in print. Paparazzi would follow them constantly, just to get that _one_ picture for their magazine. Their only choice might be to keep everything ultra-private… at least for now. He wanted to be with Olivia, and he’d do whatever he needed to do to make that happen.**


	9. Chris

****

 

**Livi opened her eyes and saw that a soft, lovely light had begun to trickle through her window. A lovely, sunny, winter day in London. For a moment, she wondered if everything the night before had been a dream. _Had she really told Tom all of those things?_ She had let him in much further than any other man before, and she hadn’t even known him that long. Was he _that_ different from other men? Or was she just smitten by him because he was very handsome… and famous?**

**Unexpectedly, she heard a quiet snore coming from above her. She realized then that she was laying in Tom’s lap, and when she looked up at him her heart nearly burst. He had pulled her pink blanket up around her, and had fallen asleep in what looked to be a most uncomfortable position. His neck would definitely be sore later. _Bless his heart._**

**Livi slowly inched her body up, as not to wake him, until she could lay in the crook of his neck. Her nose nuzzled the triangle of freckles on his soft skin, and she gently snaked her arms around his slim waist. His light blue t-shirt didn’t leave much to the imagination as it was so thin, and she enjoyed being that close to him. She laid her head against his chest and wondered if what she had told him about her family would scare him away. She had always worried that she was just too damaged to be loved. It was a good sign that he was still here with her.**

**“Good morning…”**

**She heard his groggy voice, that pulled her out of her thoughts. “Good morning, Tom.”**

**He shifted himself to a more comfortable position, and wrapped his arms around her pulling her to him tightly. “Mmm… what time is it?”**

**“I’m not sure. I’ll get up and look.” She tried to get up, but he had other plans.**

**“Oh, no you won’t. You’re going to stay right here… just for a little while.” He teased. His voice was even deeper and raspier first thing in the morning, and she melted into him.**

**“I probably need to make sure that I’m not late for work.”**

**“Oh, yes… that.” He laughed as he reached onto the end table to grab his phone. “It’s only 6:30, darling.”**

**“I need to get a shower, then. I have to be in at 8 today.”**

**“Oh.” He sighed. “Well, I guess I’ll let you, then.”**

**She giggled. “Why, thank you. My patients will thank you too, when they don’t have a stinky physician in their bubble.”**

**He smiled as he watched her leave the room, and soon he heard the shower running. He sat there for a moment, running his fingers through his hair and getting his wits about him _._**

**Suddenly he had an idea. When he was sure that she was in the shower, he tip-toed into the bathroom and slipped out of his own clothes. She gasped when he gently pulled back the shower curtain. “Is there room for two in here?”**

**“Tom!” She shouted in surprise, as her hands went to cover herself. “What in the world are you doing?”**

**“I could use a shower, too. Mind if I join you? I know our time is a bit limited this morning.”**

**“Um… well… I guess that would be okay.”**

**He smiled and stepped into the shower behind her, fully nude. He apparently had no qualms about being naked... and _why_ would he? _He was glorious._ Livi bashfully removed her hands from her wet body and continued to wash the suds from her hair. He grinned down at her as he reached for her Bumble and Bumble Crème de Coco shampoo bottle and squeezed some into his hands. He rubbed the white liquid between his palms before reaching up and lathering up his hair. **

**This situation made Livi utterly nervous. She wasn’t exactly inexperienced with men, but she was beginning to feel things that were different for her. She was allowing herself to be open and vulnerable… both mentally and physically. She jumped and let out a squeak when she felt his strong, large hands on her shoulders.**

**“I didn’t mean to startle you, darling, I’m sorry.” He laughed as he massaged her sugar lemon body wash into her tight shoulders.**

**Her head immediately slumped. “Oh, that feels _so_ good…” She moaned as she enjoyed the feeling of his soapy hands on her naked skin.**

**“I’ll bet. Your muscles are so tight… relax a bit.”**

**She knew that she needed to get out of the shower and get ready for work, but she was enjoying this lovely moment… and really, she could be five minutes late when it came down to it.**

**“Here, turn toward me and wash the soap from your back.” He said as he helped her maneuver in the small shower. She stepped back into the stream of water, and let the heat and pressure continue the massage of her shoulders.**

**She now stood facing him, but had let her head fall back to let the warm water flow through her hair, and he watched the ribbons of sudsy water trickle over her smooth skin. He’d study a bundle of suds as they flowed over her shoulder, through the valley between her breasts, over her stomach, and down between her legs. He had never seen a more beautiful woman in his entire life, and his legs uncontrollably took a step toward her. “Olivia, I just can’t resist you…”**

**Before she could react, Tom had taken her face in his large hands and placed his lips against hers. Her lips moved softly and slowly against his, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, feeling the gentle heat that came from his skin. Livi could easily feel that he was aroused as her hips met his.**

**“Do we have time to do this?” He asked, breathlessly.**

**She nodded. “I’ll make time.” She grinned at the relieved sigh that came from his between his lips, but honestly, she couldn’t have stopped if she wanted to… she was on fire from the inside, and it wasn’t the heat of the shower that made her feel that way.**

**He placed his hands under her bum, and lifted her until she could easily wrap her legs around his waist. She felt the juxtaposition of her back against the cold tile of the shower, and Tom’s warm body between her legs. She didn’t know there could be a feeling quite like this, and she was quickly becoming addicted.**

**“Oh, my darling sweet girl.” He uttered, as he placed his forehead against hers and began to slowly move between her legs. “What would I ever do without you?”**

**************

**Tom sat on the edge of Olivia’s fluffy bed, wrapped in nothing but a towel around his waist, and watched her apply a bit of makeup. They were both trying to recover from their shower a few moments earlier, and Livi’d like nothing more than to crawl back into her bed with him… but she had to get ready for work. She was enjoying the view in her mirror as she watched him seated there on her bed. His body was fantastic… he was lean, but he had recently packed on quite a bit of muscle for Coriolanus. She took a final glance at him as she slid her beloved Tory Burch pearl and rose gold studs into her ears. They matched her stethoscope perfectly.**

**She went to her closet and slipped into a bubblegum pink, thermal t-shirt before donning her black scrubs, and ran her fingers through her wet hair as she didn’t have time to dry it this morning. After she applied some cherry chapstick, she sat beside Tom to slip into her Adidas. She noticed him grinning at her.**

**“What? Why are you being so cheeky?”**

**He laughed at her choice of words. “No reason. I, uh… I really like you, Olivia.”**

**She could have guessed as much after their little adventure in the shower. “I like you too, Tom.”**

**“How are we going to do this?”**

**“How are we going to do _what_ , exactly?” She knew what he meant.**

**“This…” He gestured between them. “ _Us…_ How’s it going to work?” **

**She sighed as she bent at the waist to push her foot into her shoe. “I really don’t know… I mean, I know you’ll be traveling a lot… and I can’t be in the public, Tom.”**

**“I know you can’t, love.” He winced as he remembered their conversation from the night before.**

**“Maybe we should just take it slow… and private… and see where it goes.”**

**He nodded. “Olivia, you know that anytime I go out, I’m photographed. People want to know every aspect of my life at all times, and those details are painstakingly scrutinized. You understand that we will not be able to be seen together at all, or else it will be all over the internet. You saw what happened when you came to the Donmar… and we weren’t even together. I’m surprised that someone hasn’t gotten wind of me coming to your flat.”**

**“Yeah… I know. I wish I had the answers, Tom. I told you, I’m not good at this relationship stuff. Especially not with someone like you.”**

**He stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb, and her golden-brown eyes sparkled at him. “I’m not used to being with someone like you either, darling.”**

**She knew that if she didn’t get off the bed at that very moment, she never would… this situation was just too tempting. “I’ve gotta get to work.” She looked at her watch and sighed. “The next time I see you, I need to remove those stitches. I think your forehead’s probably healed just fine.”**

**He grinned smugly and laid back on her bed, crossing his arms behind his head. “I can come back tonight. I need to help you devour those leftovers in your refrigerator, anyway.”**

**“I guess you’re right.” She laughed, and tried not to pay attention to the fact that he was just in a thin towel on her bed… it wouldn’t take but a tiny tug to pull said towel from his hips, and…-**

**“Olivia? Are you alright? You’re turning pink.”**

**“Oh… yeah, I’m fine… completely.”**

**“Good. Come here, you.” He wrapped his hands around her wrists and pulled her down, quite nearly on top of him, and enveloped her in a kiss that was fit for a proper send-off. When his tongue worked its way into her mouth, she begrudgingly pulled away.**

**“Okay… I’ve _gotta_ go. As much as I’d love to stay here, I can’t.”**

**“I know, I know, I’m sorry. I told you, I just can’t resist.”**

**She smiled and shook her head as she slipped into her woolen coat and grabbed her bags. “I’ll see you a little later. Oh, and Tom, don’t forget-”**

**“To lock up behind me… I’ll remember, I promise.” He assured her.**

**With an endearing wrinkle of her nose she was gone, and he was left all alone in her flat, once again. He pulled his clothes from the bathroom floor back on, and stood at the same mirror that Livi had stood at just a few moments ago. He ran his hands through his light brown hair, seizing the opportunity to smooth it down since it was still a bit damp.**

**He noticed a box on Livi’s dresser that looked vintage, as it had seen better days. It was thick and sturdy, plastered with a lovely rose paper, and had wear around every edge. He knew that he shouldn’t snoop, but no one would know.**

**He slowly lifted the lid, and saw a bevy of trinkets and treasures inside. One necklace especially stood out to him-- a golden, heart-shaped locket that had taken on a lovely patina. He pulled the locket from the box and easily pried it open. Engraved on inside was a name-- ‘Kathryn Rose Beckett’… and on the other side was a black and white photo of a woman and little girl of about 4 years old. The woman was beautiful with long, dark, wavy hair and she clutched the little girl tightly to her chest. He recognized the little girl immediately… _Olivia_. Her hair was equally as dark as her mother’s, and the grin on Olivia’s face as she looked at her mother was undeniable. Olivia looked so much like her. **

**He closed the locket and returned it to its home, and was very tempted to look at the pictures and other items inside. He felt a bit uneasy, however, and had almost decided to put the box back when his phone rang loudly and startled him.**

**“Shit!” He exclaimed as he put the box back exactly how it had been, and answered his phone. “Chris.”**

**“Mate! We still on for breakfast?” The cheery sound of Tom’s friend flowed through the earpiece.**

**“Indeed. Let’s go to Pellicci’s… down here on Bethnal Green.”**

***********

**Tom arrived at the restaurant before Chris, as he had been so close—it was right down the street from Livi’s flat. He acquired a small table in the corner, and ordered himself a cup of black coffee as he waited on his friend. The bitter, hot liquid was just what he needed after sleeping on Livi’s couch.  He slightly turned his head and felt an ache that was beginning to build. He shouldn’t have slept in that position, but he wasn’t about to move Olivia… he’d rather be sore than wake her up after the night she had.**

**Soon, Chris clapped him on the back as he took the seat opposite. “ _Why_ did you choose this place, again?”**

**Tom huffed. “Well, they have great food… and I was close.”**

**“You… were close?” Chris quizzically looked at his friend.**

**“I was at Olivia’s.”**

**“Ah. I see. Wait, she lives alone in Bethnal Green?”**

**Tom shrugged and smiled. “She likes it here, and it’s close to the hospital. She’s got a nice flat… a bit small, but nice, nonetheless. I think the agency she’s with set her up here, anyway.”**

**“You really like this woman…” Chris said as more of a statement than a question, before he took a sip of his own cup of coffee.**

**“I do. She’s different. She’s independent, kind, brilliant… beautiful. I don’t know, we’ll see where it goes.”**

**Chris could see Tom’s eyes twinkle when he talked about Livi. He was beginning to feel incredibly guilty about ambushing her at the hospital. The men both ordered an English breakfast with a side of bubble ‘n squeak. They talked about various things such as their projects on the horizon—Tom was trying to decide if he should take the lead role in a biopic about Hank Williams, Chris talked a bit about his kids (he calls them ankle-biters), and how delicious the food was.**

**“Tom, I need to be honest with you about something, and I’m surprised that she hasn’t told you yet…”**

**Tom added a bit of cream to his coffee. “What is it?”**

**“You’re going to be angry.”**

**“Just _what_ am I going to be angry about?”**

**Chris took a deep breath as he steadied himself.  “I, uh… I went to the hospital to see her.”**

**“See… _who_?” _Surely_ Chris didn't mean--**

**“Olivia.”**

**Tom was gobsmacked. No wonder she had been going on about her privacy. “Why the bloody hell would you do _that_?”**

**“I don’t know, mate. I was just curious. I wanted to meet her.”**

**“You could have easily done that _through_ me… why did you go behind my back?”**

**Chris nervously ran his fingers through his hair. “I wanted to make sure she was genuine… make sure she didn’t have a kangaroo loose in her top paddock, you know…” He laughed. “You haven’t had such great luck lately with the ladies.”**

**Tom closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “You don’t think I can handle my own life?”**

**“It was a mistake, and I shouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry.”**

**“Chris, Olivia has a thing about privacy. For certain reasons, she wants to stay far away from the public. She had a terrible childhood, one that no one should have to endure, and she doesn’t want it to come back to haunt her. When her photos were on the internet, she was petrified. One night I went to her flat, stupidly drunk, and made a ruckus on her door. She pulled a gun on me for goodness’ sake. I felt terrible for scaring her, but that was before I knew… _everything.”_   **

**“Now, I really feel terrible.”**

**“Well, it’s alright. It’s already done.” Tom chuckled. “How did she react to you being in her office?”**

**Chris laughed. “Oh, she was as mad as a cut snake! She gave me about five minutes and then threw me out of her office. She’s full of fire, though. Tough, too… and beautiful.”**

**“That she is. She’s great.”**

**“Well, good on ya if she’s the right one. I’ll apologize to her when I see her again.”**

**“Good.”**

**Chris paid the tab, Tom left a tip on the table, and the friends parted ways for the day. Tom needed to get his things from his flat and get over to the Donmar, as tonight was the last night of Coriolanus. He was sad to see it go, but he was absolutely exhausted, and would welcome a little break. Now, maybe he’d be able to get over to Olivia’s before two or three in the morning.**

***********

**The performance went off splendidly, and afterward, Tom stayed a little longer to sign autographs and thank his fans for coming to the theatre. He text Livi to let her know that he was on his way to her flat, but never got a response. He figured she had fallen asleep, as she had to be exhausted too.**

**He knocked lightly on her door… once, twice… and then a little more loudly. Thankfully, he then heard the locks begin to come undone from the other side of the door… he had begun to get concerned. When the door opened, a sleepy Livi smiled, and stood to the side to let him in.**

**“Nice pants.” Tom smirked as he slipped by her, placing a kiss on her forehead.**

**Livi looked down at her comfy, floral jogger pants and shrugged. She loved her pants, and she dared anyone to tell her otherwise. “How was the performance?”**

**“Fantastic, darling. I’m knackered, though.” He said as he collapsed on her couch. He was certainly making himself at home. “Had you gone to bed?”**

**“Uh… yeah. I didn’t know what time you’d be coming… and it was late. I’ve got work in the morning.”**

**“I know. I’m sorry. I won’t have to come over so late anymore. I know you’re tired.”**

**“I’m fine. Wanna get those stitches out?”**

**“Oh, yes, please. It’s getting a bit annoying having these things in my forehead.”**

**She laughed. “I’m sure it is. Let me get my bag.”**

**She took a seat, cross-legged, on one end of the couch, and he took his position with his head in her lap. He watched her work, albeit upside down, noticing her sparkling, golden eyes and her full lips pressed into a line as she dug through her doctor’s bag. Her shiny, dark hair was thrown up into a messy bun on the top of her head, which reminded him of the photo he saw in her locket earlier.**

**“Do you know how lucky I am, darling?”**

**“Lucky? Why?”**

**“Because it’s the middle of the night, and I have the most beautiful doctor in the world attending to me privately. I have the loveliest view from right here on your couch.”**

**“Oh, man…” She giggled. “Have you been drinking again?”**

**“No, love. Just being honest.”**

**“Well, that’s very sweet… but, I think your exhaustion is getting to you.”**

**Tom closed his eyes as he felt her gloved hands touch his forehead. He didn’t know why she didn’t have more confidence. She was obviously gorgeous and smart, but she hadn’t learned how to take a compliment.**

**She gently eased the bandage off, before using a tiny pair of steel scissors to trim the stitches and pull them from his skin. “It actually looks great. You’ll have a scar there, but it’s minimal… it could have been worse. Just be gentle with it for the next few days.”**

**“I will, thank you. That feels immensely better already.”**

**“Good.” She smiled as she gathered up the garbage and walked to the kitchen to throw it away. “Hungry? I can heat up the leftovers.”**

**“Sure, sweetheart, thanks.” When he made it into the kitchen, Livi was getting the takeout boxes out of the refrigerator. She then got a couple of pans out and dumped what was left of the chicken skewers in one, and the pitas in another. “Olivia, I had breakfast with my friend Chris this morning.” He could see her back stiffen at the name. “He told me that he came to the clinic and talked to you.”**

**“That he did.” She said quietly as she flipped a sandwich over to heat the other side.**

**“What did he say to you?” He asked as he took a seat on the counter.**

**“He wanted to make sure that I wasn’t just out for your money… or dating other men behind your back. He’s apparently under the impression that I am going to make you fall in love with me, and then just leave you heartbroken. He said he figured out who I was from the internet. I was very surprised when I walked into my office and saw him.”**

**“Mmm…” He sighed. He couldn’t believe Chris had done that. “Darling, I know he had the best of intentions, but what he did wasn’t right. He sees that now. He’ll apologize to you when he sees you again.”**

**She shrugged. “It’s okay. It must be great to have a friend like that.”**

**Tom and Livi filled their bellies with the yummy leftover Greek food, and settled into her bed. She laid her head on his chest and they talked for a while, but they were both so tired that they fell asleep quickly.**

*************

**Livi woke the next morning to Tom’s phone ringing loudly. She grabbed it off the bedside table and poked him lightly in the side to wake him up. Before he took it, she saw the name ‘Luke Windsor’ on the screen.**

**“Luke, it’s 5:48 a.m. What could be so important?” Tom said groggily as he answered his phone, pulling Livi back down to retake her position on his chest.**

**“Have you seen what’s on the internet this morning?” Luke, Tom’s publicist and friend, asked.**

**“I haven’t been on the internet... I'm _sleeping_. What is it?”**

**“Just look. Then you can call me back and let me know what’s going on.” Luke said hastily as he hung up the phone.**

**“What the hell…” Tom was annoyed that he had been woken up like that. “Pardon me, darling. I need to look at something.” He sat up, moved to the edge of the bed, and typed his name into Google news.**

**“Oh, no…” He said, as he saw the first headline that popped up. He tapped on it, and it was an article from a very notable magazine. The headline read ‘Married Aussie star moving in on Tom Hiddleston’s girlfriend: We have the pictures to prove it!’**

**“No, no, no…” He mumbled as he moved through the article. It included the picture of Livi from the Donmar, a picture of Chris that someone had taken on a cell phone in the waiting room of her clinic, and a picture of Tom and Chris as they had breakfast—Tom wore an angry look on his face in the picture that made him look very cross with Chris. “Shit…” Tom let his phone fall to the floor, and put his head in his hands.**

**“What’s wrong?” Livi asked as she sat up and kissed his shoulder.**

**“Darling… we need to talk…”**


	10. Meet Me at the Bar

 

**“Tom.” Livi looked from his downcast face, to the floor where he had dropped his phone. “What’s wrong?”**

**“I was afraid of something like this.”**

**“Something like… _what_? Tom, you’re worrying me.”**

**“Darling, you might be a bit upset.”** **He reclaimed his phone from the carpet. “Olivia, there’s a rumor. This… _website_ … is saying that Chris is trying to come between us.”**

**She laughed loudly. “Are you kidding me? That’s ridiculous! Why would they say that?”**

**“Apparently, someone saw Chris coming to the clinic to see you. They got the wrong idea. They’ll take any little detail and weave a story around it.”**

**“Wait… so that means everyone will know exactly where I work now.”**

**“I’m so sorry, love.”**

**“Well… that sucks.”**

**“You must believe me, I never meant for any of this to happen.”**

**“I know, Tom, it’s not your fault. I’m just going to have to figure some things out…”**

**Tom’s fingers wove tightly around hers. “Please don’t tell me you can’t see me anymore.”**

**“No, Tom, nothing like that.”**

**He sighed. “This is a tough situation, sweetheart-- especially for you. I want you to know that I’ll protect you the best I can. I never want you to feel violated in any way.”**

**“I know.” She looked down to his hand and funnily enough noticed that his middle knuckle was just a little pinker than the others. “So…what do we do now?”**

**“Well… I’ve no idea. Why don’t you go and get a shower? I need to make a telephone call.”**

**“Okay. I need to start getting ready for work, anyway.”**

**He nodded and watched her grab some clothes from her closet and walk from the room. He needed to return Luke’s call.**

**“Tom. What’s going on?” His friend, and publicist, answered.**

**“I’m not sure where to begin.”**

**“Anywhere, but do it quickly… I’m not going to be able to dodge these phone calls much longer. I need to know what to tell people.”**

**“Look, Luke, this situation is more delicate than most. I’ve been seeing this woman for a couple of weeks, Olivia, and-”**

**“The doctor?”**

**“…yes, the doctor.”**

**“Why haven’t you told me? I need to know these things.”**

**Tom thought about that. He had been so wrapped up in Coriolanus and Olivia that he hadn’t considered talking to Luke about it.**

**“I’m not sure how to handle this situation, Luke. I like Olivia very much… more than anyone in a long time. She’s frightened by the spotlight, to say the least, and these articles are pure rubbish.”**

**“Are you going public with her, now that the secret’s out?”**

**“I don’t know, Luke. My personal life is no one’s business but mine. You know that I’ve always felt that way… and I’m not going to force her into anything she’s not comfortable with.”**

**“Tom, I’m going to tell you this as a friend… the agency is not going to like all these rumours. In fact, Mr. Baker rang me this morning and wants you to come in today for a meeting at one.”**

**Mr. Baker was one of the big names at his agency, Hamilton Hodell. Tom rolled his eyes—this was much more complicated than it should be. “Shit. Fine, I’ll be there.”**

**He disconnected the call as he watched Livi walk back into her bedroom. She offered him a smile, so that made him feel a little more at ease. She wasn’t wearing scrubs today. Instead, she opted for a short, casual black dress, a tan cardigan, black tights, and her brown riding boots. She had her hair pulled back and pinned out of her face, and she had applied a bit of makeup. “You certainly look bright and beautiful this morning.”**

**“Oh, thanks…” She glanced down bashfully. “You look… upset.”**

**He slid to the edge of her bed and patted his knee. “No, darling. I’m not upset. Come here.”**

**She perched on his knee and he pulled her close, listening to her heart beat for a moment. “What are you thinking, love? About all of this?”**

**“Hmm… well, I’m thinking that I’m scared… anxious… and that I don’t really know which way is up. It almost feels like I’m being smothered.” She took a deep breath as her fingers drifted lightly to her neck.**

**“Oh, Olivia. Don’t feel that way.” He patted her on her knee as a sign to get up. “Come, I’ll make you some breakfast.”**

**“Oh, thanks, but I really don’t have time. I need to get to work… busy day today.”**

**“Well, alright, then. Will you call me later before lunch when you have time, darling? Call me any opportunity you get. I don’t want to worry about you at work.”**

**“Uh-huh. Sure.” She nodded as she buttoned her jacket and grabbed her bags. “See ya, Tom.”**

**“Olivi-” His words were halted by a slamming door. He huffed as he pulled his shirt on. He felt like he was getting closer to her, beginning to really care for her, and now he was afraid she was going to pull away. He didn’t want to give up on her, but he didn’t know if he would ever really be as close to her as he preferred. Would there always be secrets?**

 

**-_-_-_-_-_-_-**

 

**The afternoon dragged on for Tom. After he left Livi’s, he grabbed some coffee from a shop on the way back to his flat and watched his phone for any calls or texts from her. Nothing.**

**He read a script his agent had sent to him two weeks ago about the film adaptation of a book by John Lecarré entitled The Night Manager, and then dozed for a few minutes before showering and getting ready for his meeting with the agency. He was a little afraid of what they’d say, but the meeting was mandatory, so he’d have to face it.**

**He slipped into a blue top, tailored impeccably down to the last button, and a pair of dark grey denim jeans, which also enhanced his long body. He ran his fingers through his tousled hair, put his glasses on his face, and topped it all off with a grey woolen peacoat.**

**After a few moments of walking, he hopped onto the tube. He didn’t use this mode of transportation very often because he was recognized more and more every day. He loved his fans, but he wasn’t always in the mood to sign a dozen autographs or smile for pictures. His mood was good today, however, because he had spent his morning with Livi… even though he was a bit nervous about this meeting.**

**He took his phone from his pocket while he waited for his stop, hoping to see a message or voicemail from her… but he was met with a blank screen instead. He didn’t know why, but as much as liked her, he had a bad feeling of what was to come and he just couldn’t shake it. He typed a short text message to her saying ‘Just wanted to check on you...’ and quickly sent it before he changed his mind. He silently chastised himself for falling so deeply into the Olivia Beckett rabbit hole.**

**His stop came after a few moments, and he scurried to get to the agency on time. As he approached the building that Hamilton Hodell was housed in, he noticed Luke, who was staring at his watch, seated on a brick column outside. He perked up when he saw Tom jogging to meet him.**

**“You’re almost late, Tom.”**

**“I know, I’m sorry, I took the tube. Had to stop a couple times for photographs.”**

**Luke nodded as he clapped his friend on the back. “Let’s go.”**

**Tom led the way into the office and made himself a cup of coffee before they were called in.**

**Mr. Baker, a short, though daunting man, smiled as he welcomed Tom and Luke into his office. “Greetings, gentleman.”**

**“Hello.” Tom smiled nervously as he took a seat in front of the large desk.**

**“So, Tom, I’m sorry we had to meet on such short notice.”**

**“That’s alright.” Tom shrugged.**

**“Marc Abraham phoned us this morning curious as to what you’ve decided about his film. You’re who he wants to play Hank. We need to tell him something.”**

**“Is that _truly_ why I was called in today? You could have asked me that over the phone.” Tom knew better.**

**Mr. Baker smiled as he turned his laptop around. Tom saw the same article that Luke told him about this morning, along with another one he hadn’t seen yet. Apparently, it was released an hour prior and was entitled ‘Will This New Love Ruin Tom’s Soaring Career?’**

**Tom let out an exasperated sigh. “This is ridiculous.”**

**“Tom, I hate this part of my job. I don’t want to pry into your personal life-”**

**“Then don’t.” He replied, a bit of anger making its way into his voice.**

**Mr. Baker held up his hands in defense. “I just need to know what’s going on. You never speak to us about your personal life.”**

**“There’s a reason for that, Mr. Baker. It’s no one’s business but my own.”**

**“I know that, Tom… but…” He hesitated. “If you’re seeing this woman, I don’t want you to let it affect your career.”**

**“How would it affect my career?”**

**Mr. Baker sighed. “I spoke with Mr. Hodell this morning and he and I both agree that we’d like for you to try and keep this relationship quiet. There’s a certain disenchantment that comes along with celebrities when people know that they are unattainable.”**

**“So, I’m not supposed to talk to anyone about Olivia? Or be seen with her in public?”**

**“We think that’s for the best… at least for now. If there was a pregnancy involved, or you were engaged or married, then it would be different, Tom. It would be something more concrete. If you wanted to take the relationship further… if you were more serious about her… then we might suggest going public.”**

**“What about all these rubbish articles, then? Keeping us a secret won’t stop _them_ , will it? It’s upsetting her.”**

**“We can’t control what people say. Just keep your head up. That’s something that you’ll both have to get used to if you’re going to see each other.”**

**Tom nodded slightly. “So, there’s absolutely no way of stopping these lies from coming out?”**

**Mr. Baker shook his head. “If they’ll rip apart the Royals, then there’s no one that’s off limits. You’ve risen to that level of fame… people are interested in what… and _who_ … you’re doing.”**

**Tom stood and ran his hands along his thighs, smoothing the front of his pants. “Fine. And tell Marc Abraham yes. I like the script. I’ll take on Hank. Cheers.”**

**Mr. Baker nodded as he watched Tom and Luke exit his office.**

**“That’s bullshit, Luke.” Tom exclaimed when they were outside.**

**“Well, yes… but you _are_ under contract with them. Just don’t ruffle their perfectly groomed feathers. Come on, I’ll drive you back to your flat.”**

**_____________________________________**

 

**Livi’s day at work had gone more slowly than most. After she diagnosed her last patient, a teenager with mono, she practically sprinted out of the clinic and drove her Volkswagen home. It was Friday, and as much as she normally didn’t mind working weekends, she had decided that this weekend was off limits. Her mind was jumbled, and had been all day. After the great night she had spent with Tom the night before, and then the crazy article from this morning, she was overwhelmed.**

**Honestly, these articles were scaring the shit out of her, and as much as she really liked Tom, she didn’t know if she was brave enough to continue the relationship. She had only had a tiny taste of the paparazzi so far, and she knew that if she stayed with Tom, it would get much worse.**

**She sighed and toyed with her red, double-decker bus key chain in her hand as she watched the lift travel up to her floor. Tom really was a dream. He was absolutely fantastic… charming, brilliant, sweet, caring, thoughtful, handsome, and so very tall. Livi wondered if she could truly get that lucky, as to have him fall in love with her? She had tried to stay so very far away from love for such a long time, but now found herself craving it… but not just any love, _Tom’s_. **

**She wondered what he was doing at the moment? Was he listening to music in his flat? Maybe watching a film? Reading? She jiggled her door open, and dropped her bags onto the ground. She was so tired, and desperately needed a shower… she knew she promised that she’d call Tom every chance she got today, but she hadn’t… she wanted to think before she did. She needed to be sure of herself, and just what she needed from this relationship before she talked to him.**

**She took a long shower, letting the water heat up her body that had been chilled from the London December. When she tilted her head back to wash the shampoo from her hair, all she could see was Tom in that shower with her from the other day. She could almost feel his lean body pressed against her, and opened her eyes quickly, just to make sure he wasn’t really there. She felt like she was going a bit crazy between the butterflies in her stomach and her mind telling her to run the other way.**

**She slipped into black leggings and a maroon, oversized sweater that hung off of one shoulder, and ran her brush through her wet hair. She didn’t want to do anything at all, so she slid into her bed and pulled the comforter up over her head. She decided that she’d just stay here all weekend and sleep. She could just ignore Tom, and not have to worry about things, right? She huffed as she quickly realized that she’d much rather have him there beside her instead of the empty space she was looking at now.**

**She _really_ needed to call him… or at least send him a text. She hoped that she hadn’t ruined what they had by not calling him. She picked up the phone to do just that, but she was so tired that her eyes involuntarily drifted closed from sleepiness, just as she held her phone in her hand.**

 

**__________________________________**

 

 

**“What the hell am I doing to myself?” Tom mumbled as he made himself some toast and tea. “Of course she isn’t going to text or call… maybe I should just forget about her.” Tom had more than one relationship that had ended like this. His partners would get enough of the life he led, and they’d be gone. It was too much pressure for them. He guessed this was just another one of those. He hated that, because he deeply liked Olivia, and he knew he’d find it impossible to erase her from his memory.**

**He quickly retrieved his phone when he heard it ‘ding,’ regaining hope that it was a text from Livi. No such luck. He plopped onto his couch with his cuppa, and scrolled through his phone to get to the new message. Chris.**

 

**7:21 P.M.**

**Mate! Let’s go get drinks**

**tonight. One last hooroo before I go**

**back to Australia.**

**-Chris**

 

**Tom thought about waiting around for Olivia to call, but he also wanted to spend time with his friend before he left for home. Why couldn’t he do both?**

 

**7:24 P.M.**

**Yes, I need a drink desperately.**

**Meet me at The Sun Tavern.**

**441 Bethnal Green.**

**8:15.**

**-Tom**

 

**_________________________________________________**

 

**Tom arrived at the pub first, claiming a quiet table in the corner. He pulled his phone from his pocket, and hopefully looked for a message from Livi. Still nothing. He decided to call and check on her, even though she hadn’t texted him back earlier. He had the feeling that the article from this morning had really upset her, and he dialed her number three times, never getting an answer. He knew she was already home from work, and probably at her flat just a minute’s walk from where he was sitting. Was this how their relationship ended? Maybe she didn’t have the heart to tell him that she couldn’t see him anymore.**

**Chris strode in a few minutes later, and narrowed his eyes as he looked at Tom. “What’s the matter?”**

**“Nothing’s the matter. Why do you think something’s the matter?”**

**“Well…” Chris eyed the bottle of Ballykeefe Irish Poitin on the table, along with a couple of whisky glasses. “… you don’t normally pour your own shots. That stuff is really fucking strong. How much have you had already?”**

**“Not enough. I bought the bottle, anyway.” Tom sighed as he poured a shot of the poitin and slid it across the table to his friend.**

**“Bad day?” Chris asked, still eyeing his friend.**

**“ _Terrible_ fucking day.”**

**Chris took his glass and emptied the contents into his mouth, nearly choking as it slid down his throat. “Ugh! I think I just drank petrol.”**

**Tom didn’t seem bothered by it, as he took another swig. Chris knew that something had to be really troubling Tom, because he didn’t normally drink like this.**

**“First, I had a shit meeting with my agency… now, Olivia’s not answering my calls _or_ texting me back. If she’s done with me, I wish she’d at least tell me in person.” He scrolled through his phone to his outgoing calls, and turned the phone to face Chris. “See? She’s not answering.”**

**“Tom, you’ve called her twelve times in the last ten minutes? If these articles don’t scare her, you’re going to with all these calls. Give her a break, man. She’s probably in the shower.”**

**“No, she was supposed to call me earlier… she never did. I really fancied her, Chris… now, she won’t even talk to me.”**

**Chris, seeing that Tom was already becoming drunk, screwed the lid back onto the bottle of poitin and stealthily put the glasses onto the table behind them.**

**“Oh, _fuck_! The room’s spinning.” Tom moaned as he rested his head against his arm on the table. **

**“I wonder why? Probably because you’ve demolished half a bottle of poitin by yourself. I just had two shots and I’m already feeling it. Why don’t we get some fresh air?” He asked, as he helped Tom stand up, put Tom’s arm around his neck, and began to walk toward the door.**

**“Wait, don’t forget my bottle. I’ve paid for it already.”**

**“Yes, we wouldn’t want to forget that, would we?” Chris grumbled as he pulled the bottle from the table.**

**“Thanks. You’re a great friend. Let’s go. You’re such a great friend.” Tom patted Chris’ chest as he started walking down the street.**

**“Where are we going?” Chris asked.**

**“I need to see Olivia… and ask her why she’s ignoring me.”**

**“Oh, no. Come on, Tom. You’re already a cot-case. You need to go to bed. I’ll get you back to your flat.” Chris grabbed his arm and tried to pull him toward the tube station, but Tom wasn’t going down easy.**

**“No! I said, I’m going to see Olivia. If you don’t want to come with me, then fuck off.”**

**“You’re a mess.” Chris mentioned as he followed Tom a short distance down the street.**

**“I agree. I’m a mess.”**

**“When was the last time you talked to her?” Chris asked as he caught up with a wobbly Tom.**

**“This morning. I spent the night at her flat last night, but we were woken up early by a call from Luke… about the article. That’s why she’s not talking to me. She’s scared of the press.”**

**“Oh… man. That’s understandable.”**

**“Then, she said she’d call me today from work before she left her flat and slammed door behind her. She never called. I even texted her, with no response.”**

**“So, you haven’t talked to her in twelve hours and you’re _this_ upset?” Chris laughed. “You’re in love, mate.”**

**Tom stopped walking and turned to face his friend. “What did you say?”**

**“I said you’re in love. Love’s the only thing that could make someone act as crazy as you are right now.”**

**“You think I’m in love with her?”**

**“You’re either in love, or you’ve gone absolutely fucking bonkers.”**

**“I’m… in… _love_. Huh.” Tom laughed as he wobbled a bit more. “It doesn’t change the fact that she won’t talk to me. I need to see her, and ask her for myself.”**

**Chris nodded, there was no stopping Tom and he knew it. “Well, let’s go find this Olivia, then.”**


	11. The L-Word

 

**Livi was awoken from her deep sleep by banging against her front door. She had a feeling she knew who it was, and he was probably wanting answers as to why she hadn’t called or texted all day. The bright screen of her iPhone revealed that it was only 10:30 p.m., and she trudged out of her bed trying to figure out what she was going to tell Tom. The banging continued, and when she made it to the door she peered out of the peephole and saw a sight that she didn’t expect. There was Chris, whom she wasn’t especially fond of, holding up Tom, who looked terribly drunk.**

**“Shit.” She whispered as she quickly opened the door.**

**“Why haven’t you called, Olivia? Do you not want to see me anymore?” Tom blurted out, a bit louder than he should’ve.**

**“Shhh! I have neighbors that probably don’t appreciate your yelling. Get in here.” She stood to the side, and allowed the men to enter her flat.**

**As they crossed the threshold, Chris gave her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Olivia, there wasn’t any stopping him. He wanted to see you.”**

**“Yeah, yeah.” Olivia placed her hands on her hips, trying to figure out what to do next.**

**“Olivia, I’ve been waiting on your call all day. I’ve missed you. If you don’t want to see me anymore, you must tell me.”**

**“Tom… of course I still want to see you.”**

**He breathed a large sigh of relief. “I realized something as I was walking over here… Olivia, I lo-”**

**Chris interjected. “Tom, maybe you should wait to tell her that.”**

**“No. No, I want to tell her now. I love you, Olivia. I do. I fucking love you.”**

**Olivia’s eyes grew wide. “Tom…”**

**He took a step toward her and enveloped her in a tight hug. “Oh, I love you, my darling.” He was having trouble standing because of all the alcohol, so he stumbled a bit almost causing the pair to fall to the floor.**

**“Tom, come on, stop.” Olivia pushed him away, allowing Chris to help steady him.**

**“Is there somewhere he can lay down? Maybe sleep some of this off?” Chris asked.**

**“Yeah… just put him in my bed. Down the hall there.”**

**Chris helped Tom, very slowly, into Olivia’s bedroom and emerged a couple of minutes later.**

**“Is he asleep?” She asked.**

**“Soundly. He’s even snoring.”**

**“What the hell happened?” Olivia asked as she plopped down onto the couch.**

**“He and I decided to get drinks tonight since I am leaving to go home tomorrow. When I got to the bar, he had already demolished half a bottle by himself. He was very upset that you hadn’t called him all day.”**

**“I know, I should have called… but I _do_ have a job. And I fell asleep after I came home and took my shower. I have the right to be tired.”**

**“I know, I know. I’m not saying he’s right, but he is my best mate so I have a sworn oath to take care of him.” He chuckled.**

**“I suppose he’s lucky to have a friend like you.” Olivia said as she picked a loose string off a pillow.**

**Chris shrugged. “I guess. Although, I don’t always make the best decisions. Like when I came to your office… I had no right to do that. I’m sorry.”**

**“It’s okay, Chris. I probably overreacted. I’m sorry, too.”**

**Chris grinned. “Right, then. Well, I better be getting back to my hotel. It’s late, and I have an early flight.”**

**“Thanks for taking care of him, Chris.”**

**“Of course. See ya, Livi.”**

**________________________________________________**

**After Chris had left, Olivia snuck into her bedroom and saw that Tom was still sleeping soundly. Chris had left him on the bed, and Tom still wore his shoes and sweater that he wore when he came in. She removed each of his grey suede boots, and wondered if that was the only pair of shoes the man owned, as she had never seen him in anything different. She giggled at the thought as she removed his socks next.**

**She grabbed his hands and tried to pull him up, but he was too heavy. “Tom.” She whispered. “Sit up so we can get your sweater off.” He slightly opened his eyes and with a grunt he pushed his way up. “Come on, help me out here.” She said as she pulled his arm from his sweater. The other arm came out easily after that. It surprised her when he raised his hand to place it gently against her cheek.**

**“I don’t know what I’d do without you, my darling. You’re an angel, and I don’t deserve you. You’re so beautiful. I love you so much.”**

**She smiled at his sweet sentiments, even though his words were a bit slurred. She finally got his shirt and jeans off, as well, and tucked him into her warm, fluffy bed.**

**“Darling, will you lay with me?” He asked as he held his arms out to her.**

**“I suppose I can do that.” Livi sighed as she crawled back into her bed and into Tom’s outstretched arms. She was so comfortable here, even though Tom reeked of Irish Moonshine. She loved to lay in the crook of his neck and inhale him, and she felt so safe with his long arms wrapped around her. Before she knew it he was snoring again, and it wasn’t long after that that she had fallen asleep in her favorite spot.**

**She awoke the next morning to Tom groaning and grumbling.**

**“Are you alright?” She asked him as she peeked up at him. He didn’t look too well.**

**“Bloody hell… what happened last night? How’d I end up here?”**

**“You don’t remember any of it?”**

**“The last thing I remember was drinking that… _whatever_ that was…”**

**“Hmm… well, Chris brought you here because you were completely and utterly wasted. I’m going to go grab you some ibuprofen.”**

**Tom nodded and clutched his aching head. It bothered him that he couldn’t remember anything from the night before.**

**“Here you are. Strong coffee and ibuprofen.” She smiled as he sat up in the bed.**

**“Oh, thank you, darling.” He took a big gulp of coffee and swallowed his pills. “I’m so sorry about last night. I should never have drunk that much… it’s not like me to do that.”**

**“You were angry with me, Tom. Because I hadn’t called you all day. Last night you said you thought that I didn’t want to see you anymore since I hadn’t called you.”**

**“Yes, I remember that.”**

**“I’m really sorry… I was busy at work and then I came home, showered and fell asleep.”**

**“Please don’t apologize. I was out of line. I’m not normally that crazy… there’s just something about you that makes me... _different_ … nothing makes sense anymore.”**

**“Is that a bad thing, Tom?”**

**“No, love. It’s not a bad thing. Yes, it’s true that I was different before I met you, but I feel like I’m more ‘me’ when I’m with you.”**

**“Can I ask something of you?” She asked hopefully.**

**“Of course, darling, anything.”**

**“Can you calm down on the drinking thing? I’m not a huge fan of alcohol. It just scares me.”**

**He pulled her down to lay against his chest. “I’m so sorry, love. Of course, I will.”**

**Livi nodded her head as a tear trickled down the side of her face and onto Tom’s bare chest. He felt terrible, not only from the alcohol the night before, but because he hadn’t thought of her before he consumed all those drinks. He knew she had terrible memories of her father’s alcoholism, so he vowed to himself that he wouldn’t drink anymore if there was any chance he was going to be around Olivia.**

**“I’m going to go make some breakfast. Take your time getting up, I know you’re bound to feel terrible.”**

**He nodded as he let her go and watched her walk from the room. How did he ever get so lucky? He found his clothes from the night before folded neatly at the end of the bed, so he slipped into them as best he could with a spinning head. The smell of bacon gave him the motivation he needed, though.**

**He ambled into the kitchen, and watched Livi fry eggs for a moment. She hadn’t heard him come into the kitchen over the sound of her stove, and he enjoyed watching her. She delicately placed the perfect sunny side up eggs on top of an English muffin, and surrounded the muffin with bacon and fruit. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned and saw him leaning against the wall watching her.**

**“I’m sorry. I was enjoying the view.” He chuckled as she struggled to catch her breath.**

**“You’re going to be the death of me, Tom Hiddleston, you know it?”**

**“I’m sorry, love. Let me help you.” He grabbed the plates of food and took them into the living room. She brought their cups of coffee and placed them beside their plates on the coffee table.**

**“By the way, Tom, I spoke with my supervisor. I’m going to be at the Children’s Hospital by St. Thomas’ for the remainder of my time in London. I just couldn’t stay where I was… not with everyone knowing where the clinic was. I’m going to work in the children’s A &E department there.”**

**Tom nodded, as he had a bite of food in his mouth. “I don’t blame you. That’s not too much further of a drive.”**

**“No, it will be okay, I don’t have too much longer in London. I just have to decide where I’m going next.”**

**“Um, yes… I wanted to talk to you about something. I had a meeting with my agency yesterday. I accepted a new role in a film about Hank Williams.”**

**“Oh, that’s fantastic! Congratulations! I grew up on Hank’s music.”**

**“We start filming in a little over a month. I was thinking that you could possibly accept a position close to where I’ll be for the next four months. I don’t want to be away from you…”**

**“Oh, well maybe. Where will you be filming?”**

**“That’s the thing… we’ll be in Louisiana.”**

**Livi’s face grew pale, and she placed her fork back onto her plate. “Tom… I can’t go to Louisiana. I can’t go back there.”**

**“Olivia-”**

**“No, Tom. You don’t get it. I can’t go back there!” Livi’s lip began to tremble as Tom hurriedly made his way around to her side of the table.**

**“I’m sorry, Olivia. I shouldn’t have even mentioned it. Shh… it’s okay.” He consoled her as he wrapped his arms around her.**

**After a few moments, Livi calmed down. “Maybe I can look for a job in Texas… or Arkansas, or Mississippi. I can’t be in Louisiana. I’m sorry.”**

**“No, it’s fine. Don’t you worry about anything. We’ll work it out. Please, don’t cry, I can’t take it.”**

**Livi was upset about Tom having to go to Louisiana, but she was also upset because that was the first time she had faced the fact that she wouldn’t always be able to be with him. If they stayed together, there would be times when he’d be working and she’d be lonely.**

**“Do you think you have any clothes that would fit me? I desperately need a shower, but I’m not ready to leave you yet.”**

**She sniffled. “I’m sure I do. I don’t want you to leave yet, either.”**

**She lifted her face up a bit and pressed her lips to his. He tasted of strawberries and melon, and soon the kiss deepened… his hands on her cheeks holding her to him… her tongue in his mouth searching for something, anything, that would make her feel better.  Scooting closer to him, she lifted her leg and placed it on the other side of him, straddling his lap. He groaned as he pulled his face away from hers. “Olivia, what I said last night—I still mean it.”**

**She looked deeply into his crystal blue eyes, and found them searching hers for an answer.**

**“I _love_ you, darling. I’m not afraid to say it… I know what I’m feeling. You don’t have to reciprocate yet, but I want you to know. I love you, Olivia.”**

**“Tom…”**

**“It’s okay, sweetheart, really. Whenever you’re ready.” His lips went to her neck this time, and he pulled her close. As she rocked on his lap, she could feel that he was just as aroused as she was. “You know, there’s room for more than one in your shower.”**

**She moaned as she felt him grow harder beneath her... she needed this release. “Mmm… yes, a shower sounds _lovely_.”**


	12. The Tree

 

                                                      

**After a nice, long, hot shower for two, Tom and Livi crawled back into bed for a small nap. He still wasn’t feeling well from the abundance of alcohol the night before. Tom had mentioned his aching, pounding head, so Livi agreed they could get back into bed. She thought it was funny that he felt bad enough to need to be in bed with his pounding headache, but not bad enough for sex in the shower.**

**The only t-shirt that Livi could find large enough for Tom was a funny one she had gotten years ago, and honestly, she couldn’t even remember where she had gotten it… she had just always had it.  Tom laughed, and even blushed a bit, when she threw it at him and he saw it. A grey t-shirt boasting a maroon motor boat, with the words ‘ _Motor Boatin’ Son of a Bitch_ ’ written around it now fit perfectly on Tom’s lovely torso. All she could do was giggle, shrug and say “It’s a southern thing, I guess.” She was also able to find a pair of black pants that fit him that she had purchased cheaply in a market in Tokyo. They ended up being extremely too large and long for her and had been pushed to the back of her drawers since then. She was glad she didn’t get rid of them… of course, she’d have no idea that Tom Hiddleston would be wearing them one day in her bed as they slept. **

**She was the first to wake, and before she could even open her eyes, she could hear that he was still lightly snoring. She took that opportunity to take his lovely features in. She was amazed at how delicate and sharp his features were… harsh and absolutely perfect all at the same time. His long, light brown eyelashes lay against his light skin as he slept peacefully, and his whiskers had began to grow out. Livi couldn’t help but run her fingers very lightly across his rough stubble, from under his cheekbones all the way down his neck. He was stunning… handsome… beautiful, even. She was proud of herself for opening herself up to him as much as she had. This had certainly never happened for her before.**

**Her fingers wandered from his stubbly neck to trace his relaxed lips. _Oh, how she loved those lips._ The corners of his mouth turned up into a smile, and his eyes peeked at her. “Whatever are you doing, love?”**

**“Just studying you…”**

**“ _Studying_ me?” He asked. That’s not what he had expected her to say.**

**She propped up on her elbow and grinned down at him. “Trying to learn those little lines… those cheekbones… your lips.” She bit her own lips as she looked at his. “One time I met an older patient while I was working in Brisbane… He had always been blind, ever since he was a young boy. His elderly wife would help him get around so that he didn’t hurt himself.” Livi looked down at the grey sheet she and Tom lay on. “One day I had the chance to visit with him when he was alone for a little while, and I asked him how he fell in love with his wife, even though he couldn’t see her. I was so bitter about love, among other things.” She looked back up into Tom’s blue eyes. “He said that their souls connected immediately, even though their eyes couldn’t, and he learned her features by spending time tracing her face with his fingers. He said that he could picture her in his mind by doing that, and he knew, without a doubt, that he was the luckiest man on Earth.” Livi shook her head. “It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.”**

**She watched Tom’s eyes glisten with wetness. “That’s a beautiful story, darling.” His fingers traced Livi’s full lips for a moment before pulling her down for a kiss. She took her place in the crook of his neck. “I suppose that the people who find true love are among the luckiest people there are.” He said, softly.**

**“I never believed that love existed. Not real, _true_ , forever love. I always assumed love was meant to be painful… trying to hide bruises and getting drunk…. like my momma and daddy.” **

**“And now?” He asked.**

**She shrugged. “I guess I could be coming around to the idea that love could be real… and quite nice.”**

**He embraced her tightly. “I’m _so_ glad to hear you say that.”  **

**She smiled and snuggled into his side a little deeper, which now smelled of soap instead of moonshine, thankfully.**

**“How are you feeling, Tom? Your head?”**

**“My head’s feeling much better, thank you. That little nap worked wonders for me.”**

**“Good.” Livi answered, as their attention turned toward Tom’s dinging phone from the nightstand.**

**“Ugh… I don’t want to move from this spot. Whoever _that_ is can go to hell.” Tom said gruffly, as he wrapped a long leg around Olivia.**

**“It might be important, you know.”**

**Tom huffed, and reached to the table for his phone. “Oh, it’s a text from Luke.”**

**She raised her eyebrows in question.**

**“Oh, uh, Luke’s my PR person… and good friend, depending on the day.” He winked at her. “He says he has some scripts that need to be delivered to me, urgently.” Tom huffed and plopped back down onto the pillow. “I have an idea! Why don’t you pack a small bag, just what you’ll need for tonight and tomorrow, and come stay at _my_ house tonight? You’ve never been there… plus, you don’t have to get up for work in the morning. We could make breakfast together.”**

**“That’s true… okay, we can do that. But… won’t we be seen?”**

**“No. I have a personal garage in the front of the house, no one will see us.”**

**“Okay, then.” She grinned and jumped up to pack her bag.**

**He laughed at her—she was just a little _too_ excited to be getting out of her flat. Tom gathered up his reeking clothes and shoes from the night before and placed them into an empty whole foods bag, folding down the top many times… he felt like a strong whiff of that poitin from the night before just might make him ill. **

**Livi appeared with her overnight bag packed to the brim, and with that, they hurriedly made their way to her red Volkswagen. She tossed the keys to him. “You drive, I don’t know where we’re going.”**

**“Of course, my darling, just hurry. We don’t need to be seen.”**

**She jumped into the passenger seat and slid down as far as possible. “Where are we going?”**

**“Do you know where Kensington is?” He asked as he turned over the motor.**

**“Of course! Kensington Palace! That’s where Princess Diana lived, right?” She asked, her face immediately beaming.**

**Tom chuckled. “Well, yes… we’re not exactly going to the Palace, but I just bought a home near there in Knightsbridge. You’ve never been over that way?”**

**She shook her head. “No. I’ve really only been to the hospital and my apartment. I’ve worked so much that it left little time to do anything else. Riding on the Eye is on my bucket list though, so I must do that before I leave London. No excuses.”**

**“Right, no excuses. I wish we could ride it together.” Tom sighed, as he reached over and grabbed Livi’s hand.**

**“Me too… Maybe one day.”**

**“Yes, one day.” He winked.**

**After a few minutes of driving, Livi shrieked, scaring Tom. “Tom! Is that Buckingham Palace?”**

**“It _is_. The home of the Queen, herself.” **

**“Wow.” She looked at the enormous gated Palace starry-eyed.**

**“You know, if you stay with me a few nights, you can pass this every morning on your way into the hospital.”**

**Livi knew what Tom was trying to do. “Well, you know, it wouldn’t be as grand after seeing it morning after morning, would it?” She smirked, making Tom laugh loudly.**

**“I suppose you’re right, Olivia.”**

**Finally, the couple pulled into the cobblestone driveway of a white home with black garage doors, and a black entrance in the middle. Tom pulled up to one of the doors, and jumped out of the Volkswagen. Using his housekey, he opened the garage door fully and hopped back into Livi’s car, driving it into the empty space.**

**“Now, just stay in the car while I close the door. Just in case…”**

**Livi nodded and waited for Tom to come around to her side of the car and open her door for her. “Here we are, all safe and sound.” He said as he grabbed her bags for her and helped her out of the car. “Now, I will warn you, with Coriolanus… and staying at your place… I haven’t had any time to decorate, or unpack, even. In fact, I don’t have much furniture either, I’m terribly sorry.”**

**Livi laughed. “Tom, you’ve seen my flat. It's pretty bare. Believe me, I understand.”**

**Tom raised his eyebrows as he turned the key. “Whatever you say.”**

**When they entered the home, Livi saw that Tom wasn’t fibbing. She saw that the first floor was one large room, with the kitchen, living room, and a small office area. Also, there was a door which Olivia assumed led to a restroom. There were a ton of moving boxes that lined the room, some had been unpacked, and it looked like they were the ones that contained books, as there were books—of all kinds—stacked everywhere. He had a large, brown leather recliner chair in the middle of the living room, but what caught Livi’s attention was the fully decorated, completely lit Christmas tree that stood in the corner… complete with gifts underneath. With work and all, Olivia had forgotten that Christmas was next week. She hadn’t seen a tree decorated that beautifully in… well… years.**

**Tom had gone upstairs to put her bags in his bedroom, but when he came down he saw that she was transfixed on that tree… running her fingers lightly over the ornaments and lights. “Darling?”**

**She jumped a bit when he spoke. “Sorry, I was just looking. It’s funny… I had almost forgotten it was Christmas time.”**

**He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, and watched her as she delicately touched each ornament… some of them store-bought… some from Tom’s travels… some that looked like they had been passed down to him… some homemade by his nieces—but they were all beautiful and _special._**

**She held one in her hand that was a clear plastic ball with a small snowman painted haphazardly on it. Inside was a piece of parchment that said:**

**‘To: Uncle Tom**

**From: Kate**

**I love you.’**

**“You remember little Kate, right? She’s the one I brought in to you when she was ill.”**

**Olivia giggled. “Of course I remember Kate. She was precious.”**

**“Thank goodness you were there. I was terrified. I don’t know what I’d have done without you that day.”**

**“Oh, you’d have found another doctor to take her to, I’m sure.”**

**Tom leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Livi’s neck, and squeezed her a little tighter around her waist. “Yes, but I wouldn’t have fallen in love with _that_ doctor now, would I? Like I have you?”**

**Livi didn’t know what to say. She _knew_ what she was feeling toward Tom, but she wasn’t sure that she could say it just yet. **

**“I have an idea.” Tom said abruptly as he flew back up the stairs, leaving Livi confused. After a moment, she heard something bumping against the walls and Tom grunting, and he appeared at the top of the stairs pushing his mattress.**

**“What in the world are you doing?” Livi asked as she began to walk up the stairs.**

**“Please, darling, I don’t want you to get hurt, and I say this in the kindest way possible: move.”**

**“But you’re going to hurt yourself.” She protested as she moved from the staircase.**

**“Well, luckily for me I have the most beautiful doctor in the world right here in my home.” He joked. After a few uneasy pushes, the mattress was at the bottom of the stairs, and Tom adjusted it perfectly in front of the Christmas Tree.**

**“I didn’t have my bed set up yet. I’ve been sleeping on this mattress on the floor since I moved in. I thought you might like to sleep down here tonight.” He smiled at her as he ran back up the stairs to retrieve the bed linens.**

**A knock came from the front door and Tom yelled down to Olivia. “It’s Luke. Please let him in, love?”**

**She walked to the door, and was met with a man that looked as dapper and proper as Tom. In fact, they looked like they could be brothers.**

**“You must be Olivia.” Luke smiled and reached his hand out to shake hers.**

**She shrugged. “Yes… Livi’s what most people call me.”**

**“Alright, then.” Luke smiled. “I’ve just heard you called ‘Olivia’ by Tom, so I didn’t know.”**

**“Yes, well… I think Tom may be a little old-fashioned.”**

**“You’d be correct on that assumption.” Luke laughed. “It’s nice to meet you.”**

**“You too, Luke.”**

**Tom made his way down the stairs with the bedding, and Luke laughed loudly when he saw him. Tom looked at him quizzically until he remembered he was still wearing Olivia’s clothes.**

**“ _Ha-Ha_ … laugh it up. You can’t tell me that you wouldn’t bloody _love_ to wear this shirt.” He teased Luke as he winked at Livi.**

**“I’m not even going to ask." Luke tried to catch his breath. "Here. These are these scripts.”**

**Tom nodded as he took the thick envelopes. “Why are these _so_ important?”**

**“Really, it’s just the one that’s so important… it’s…” Luke looked back and forth between Tom and Livi, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t. “It’s top secret… it’s code name is Creature Report.” Luke looked at Livi to make sure she hadn’t gotten it. To his surprise, Tom hadn’t gotten it either.**

**Tom just laughed. “Okay, Luke, thanks. I’ll… uh… be sure to look at these quick-like.”**

**After Luke left, Livi took the bedding to Tom’s mattress and began to put the sheets on the bed.**

**“Let me do that, love.”**

**“Oh no, I’ll do it. I don’t mind. I'm an excellent bed-maker.” Livi reassured him.**

**“Well… okay, then.” Tom plopped down into his brown chair and began to open the envelopes with the scripts inside. He thumbed through the first one and placed it on the ground beside his chair. “Well, that is a script for a movie about King Kong.”**

**“Really? That’s exciting.”**

**“Yes. Hmm…” He laughed when he opened the second envelope. “… and _this_ is the script for the new Thor movie. It’s called Ragnarok. Supposed to be top secret, so they use those silly code names…” **

**“Well, I won’t tell a soul. Girl Scout honor.” She held up the three middle fingers of her right hand making the Girl Scout symbol.**

**He smiled as he approached her. “Thank you for making our bed.”**

**_Our bed? Oh, man._ “You’re welcome.” She uttered.**

**“Look, there’s a great place not far from here called The Alfred Tennyson. I’ll go get us some dinner.” Tom pulled up the menu on his phone and after she looked at it for a few minutes, Olivia decided on the chicken and jersey royal potatoes. While Tom was gone, she thumbed through some of his books. She found a lot of Shakespeare, of course… along with some historical books and fiction. Tom clearly liked to read, and Livi liked that he was so well-read. It didn’t take long for him to return with their food.**

**“Oh my gosh, that smells soooo good.”**

**Tom grinned. “It _will_ be good. This place is absolutely wonderful.” He handed Livi her plate. “Looks like we’re eating in bed since I have no table... or chairs, for that matter.”**

**They took their spots on his mattress, and they both tucked into their food. Olivia wanted to fall over when she tasted her food.**

**“Isn’t it lovely?” He asked when he saw her eyes roll back in her head.**

**“So lovely.”**

**He minded as she watched the twinkling tree in between bites of her food. “Olivia?”**

**“Hmm?”**

**“If you love the tree so much, why don’t you have one in your flat?”**

**She shrugged. “What would be the point? I mean, it’s just me. Things don’t mean as much in my life, I guess. I don’t mean to sound pitiful, that’s just the way it is.”**

**“Did your family celebrate Christmas when you were little… before… your mother passed?”**

**Olivia shook her head as she chewed a piece of potato. “No, Tom, we didn’t. My sister and I would sometimes get little gifts from our mother, behind my father’s back. We certainly didn’t have anything like a tree or decorations… or Christmas cookies… or anything.” Livi felt tears begin to build in her eyes. “Can we not talk about this now?”**

**“Of course, darling. I’m sorry.”**

**Tom thought for a moment, as he didn’t know how to respond to her statement. He felt so utterly bad for her, and he didn’t know how to fix it. As soon as they finished eating, he took their plates and returned to her on the mattress. “Come, lay with me, love.” He said as he held his hand out to her.**

**She laid in front of him with her back against his chest, and both of them facing the tree. “There are a ton of gifts under there. You must love a lot of people.”**

**“Well… not really, I just like to give the people I love a lot of gifts.”**

**She looked at the perfectly wrapped presents, and noticed that her name was written on one. She sat up and looked at him. “Wait, Tom… you got me a Christmas gift?”**

**He twirled a wave of her hair around his finger. “Of course. There may be more than _one_ under there with your name on it. After all, you’re one of the people I love.”**

**She nodded, and laid back down quickly in his arms-- she didn’t want him to see her cry. At this point, she couldn’t help it as her emotions were all over the place. He knew she was upset, and he also knew that she didn’t want _him_ to know. He could feel her shudder, so he just squeezed her tighter, and pulled her closer. **

**He realized at that moment, that he never wanted her to have another Christmas (or any other holiday) alone like that. Eventually, they fell asleep there on his mattress beneath the twinkling lights of his Christmas Tree.**


	13. An Unexpected Guest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! <3 you all! -C

 

 

**The next morning, Livi slowly opened her eyes and remembered that they had slept beside the Christmas tree last night. It was as beautiful today as it was yesterday. She sat up, yawned and stretched as far as she could, just like a cat. She turned to Tom’s pillow behind her and noticed a note, instead of the man himself. It read:**

_**Olivia,** _

_**If you wake before I return, I have gone for a quick run. Please make yourself at home, and I’ll be back shortly.** _

__

_**-T** _

**It seemed as if that man was always running. She looked around and found the upstairs loo, bathed, and brushed her teeth. She found a t-shirt of his that she hoped he wouldn’t mind her borrowing, and slipped it on. It was white, and said ‘Save the Arctic’ on it. She didn’t bother with a pants because the shirt was large enough to cover her backside. Tom still hadn’t returned, so she made herself useful and tried to cook breakfast. At least Tom had some groceries in the fridge.**

**When he arrived home, he noticed the amazing smell that wafted through his front door. Quietly, he unlocked his door and peeked in. There was Olivia, in just a t-shirt, cooking him breakfast. “I’m the luckiest man alive, you know that?” He said as he walked up behind her making her jump and curse at the same time.**

**“Shit! You scared me!” She laughed as she tried to catch her breath.**

**“I’m sorry, darling. I was just enjoying the view for a moment. That shirt looks much better on you than it ever did on me.”**

**Livi rolled her eyes. “Oh, I certainly doubt that. Would you like some breakfast? I’m making French toast.”**

**“I very much would, but I need to pop in the shower first. I see that you’ve already showered, or I’d suggest you having one with me.”**

**“Sorry, I wanted to have breakfast ready for you when you got back.”**

**Tom kissed her on the forehead “You’re so perfect, sweetheart…” before he jogged up the stairs, and popped into the shower. Olivia had left her bath items in his shower, and he couldn’t help but open her Sugar Lemon shower gel and taking a whiff. It smelled just like her… and the scent reminded him of _very_ fun times they had had in her shower. He thought of using it, but that might seem a little strange. He did, however, use her Bumble and Bumble Coconut shampoo and conditioner… he couldn’t pass up the opportunity. He let the tropical scented suds drift down his long, lean body as he washed his hair before standing underneath the shower head and washing it all out.**

**He dried off with a blue towel and wrapped it around his waist. As he ran his fingers through his damp hair, he let his eyes wander over Olivia’s things she has used this morning and left out on the vanity. He picked up the heavy glass bottle of the Herbivore Coconut and Sea Salt Mist. “Hm. This must be for her hair.” He sprayed it lightly to smell it, but accidentally sprayed himself in the face instead. After a moment, of tending to his burning eyes, he spotted her half-full bottle of perfume. Aerin’s Bamboo Rose. This scent was one of the very first things he noticed about Olivia and as he removed the cap from the perfume, he inhaled deeply. What a lovely scent… like dewy green leaves and roses, and so very feminine. He could remember thinking of how beautiful she smelled in the doctors’ office when he had taken sick little Kate. Every time Olivia would get near him, he would inhale as deeply as he could (which probably isn’t a great idea in a hospital) He hoped that he’d be able to smell that scent on her for a very long time.**

**He slipped on a light sage green t-shirt (he was trying to branch out to brighter colors) as well as a pair of black joggers and padded barefoot back down the stairs. Olivia was still in the kitchen—this time, she was pouring them both a stemless wine glass of orange juice.**

**“Feel better?” She asked.**

**“Much, much better.” He slid up behind her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and giving her a soft kiss on her shoulder. He could hear her sniffing the air around them.**

**“Um, Tom… Did you use my shower stuff? You smell an awful lot like me.” She giggled as she turned around in his arms.**

**“I’ll admit to using your shampoo… the other things were complete accidents.” He winked.**

**“Uh-huh, sure they were. Well, at least you’re secure enough in your manhood to go around smelling like roses and coconuts.”**

**“I am _so_ secure in my manhood. I’d like to show you _just_ how secure after breakfast, if you’d like.”**

**“Sounds like a wonderful plan.” She giggled before he placed a kiss on her lips. “Ready to eat?”**

 

 

**“Yes! I’m famished. Though I must warn you, one of the stipulations of accepting the role as Hank Williams is that I must lose weight. So, no more French toast breakfasts after this… not for a while, anyway.”**

**“Lose weight? Tom, you’re thin enough as it is… I mean, I know Hank Williams was probably 140 pounds soaking wet, but there’s no way you need to get near that weight.”**

**“I won’t get that thin, sweetheart, but as of now I’m on a strict regimen of diet and cardio.”**

**“Tom, I’m not comfortable with tha-”**

**He placed his hand on hers. “Now, don’t you worry about me, love. I’m built thin… it won’t be any trouble to get there.”**

**Livi sighed as she took a bite of her French toast. It was excellent, but she couldn’t really enjoy it because now she was worried about Tom. He scarfed his down quickly, groaning as he swallowed. “You’re a fantastic cook, Olivia…”**

**“Oh… well, it helps when you have millions of recipes at your fingertips. Just ask Google.” She smiled.**

**“Speaking of asking…”**

**She cut her eyes at Tom, wondering what was going to come from his mouth next.**

**“How would you like to come and spend Christmas with my family?”**

**“Ohhhhh, I don’t think so. That’s way too much, way too soon.”**

**“I’ll understand if you won’t, but I want you to know that I’d love for you to be there with me. I want my loved ones to meet you… plus, I would be so _utterly_ bored without you there. This year it will just be my mum, my sister and her children, me… and you, possibly. My other sister is working away and won’t be able to be there.”**

**Livi sighed. She knew this was coming. This was a step that she had never taken with a man… meeting the family… celebrating holidays. It was all so foreign to her, and to be honest, it terrified her.**

**Tom could see the fear and confusion in her face. “It’s alright if you don’t want to come, or you don’t feel comfortable with it. Really.”**

**“It’s not that I don’t _want_ to be there with you, it’s just hard for me, Tom… and _so_ far out of my comfort zone. Can I have some time to think about it?”**

**“Of course. Christmas is Saturday, so you have nearly a whole week until then.”**

**She nodded, but noticed the disappointed look in Tom’s eyes. She could tell that he really wanted her to be there. She’d just have to gain some nerve before then… she’d do her best. He took their plates and laid them to the side of the mattress.**

**“Now, even though I smell like a woman…” He pulled her close and placed his lips against her neck, moving them slowly and making Livi’s head loll to the side to experience every ounce of that feeling. “I promised that I would show you just how much of a man I was, did I not?”**

**She smirked. “You did… it was a promise… you have to keep it.”**

**“Oh, don’t you worry, I always keep my promises.” He growled and pushed her back to lay in the middle of the mattress. Luckily for Tom, all she wore was his t-shirt and a lovely pair of pink, lace knickers, so her body was very accessible to him. He let his hands roam up her sides, raising her shirt, and looking a little more closely at her tattoos. On her side closest to him was the large tattoo of the weeping angel. Tom moved his fingers along her ribs and the lines of the beautiful artwork. “I bet this hurt a bit, didn’t it?”**

**“No, it didn’t hurt a bit… it hurt a lot.” Livi laughed. “Have you ever dated a girl with tattoos, Tom?”**

**Tom’s mind went to two separate places. “Firstly, no, I have never dated a girl with tattoos. Second, are we _dating_?” He asked as he continued to stroke the lifelike wings of the angel that were beautifully embedded into the skin on her side.**

**Her cheeks turned a bit pink when he asked that. “I mean, I thought we were… _trying_ this… thing.”**

**“Yes, but I didn’t know we had a label on this… _thing_ of ours. So, what you’re saying is that you’re my _girlfriend_?” He smiled as he pushed her a little further.**

**After a moment of thought she looked up into his ocean-blue eyes. “Yes…  I guess that’s what I’m saying.”**

**He laughed happily and placed his mouth against hers. “Thank you for trusting me, Olivia… with your heart, your body, your mind… all of it. I won’t let you down, love.” He assured her as he leaned down to place his lips against her ribs. Slowly he moved her t-shirt up, and moved toward her breasts. He watched her head fall back into the pillow as wrapped his lips around a nipple, and let his fingers continue to barely ghost her ribs, creating goosebumps across her body. Finally, he pushed the t-shirt up and off her arms, and pulled the thick blanket up and over her as it was a bit cold in his flat that morning. He slipped his own shirt off and slid underneath the blanket with her. This was paradise for Tom… laying beneath the blanket with Olivia… chest to chest… skin to skin. He pulled her as closely to him as possible and held her like that for a while. Soon, however, his lips found hers again and they began to move together beneath the blanket. More clothes were removed and quickly they were nude together in their little safe blanket bubble.**

**“Ride me, darling. Please?” Tom asked as he rolled, allowing Olivia to straddle his hips and fulfill his wish.**

**“How can I say no to those words?” She giggled.**

**“I was hoping you’d be keen on the idea.” He gasped as she lowered herself onto him.**

**“Yes, love, just like that…” He pushed the blanket down to her hips so he could watch her as she moved on him… her head thrown back… her lips open… and those beautiful noises…**

**From the corner of his eye, he saw his front door open and before he could say anything, a certain silver-haired woman entered. Since the whole first floor was one room, she very easily saw the couple having sex beneath the Christmas tree.**

**“Mum!?” He yelled, as he pulled Olivia back down onto him and pulled the blanket up where she’d be covered. The woman looked like she had seen a ghost… or two.**

**“Your _mom_ is here? Oh, no…” Livi whispered as she hid her face in the crook of Tom’s neck.**

**“Just stay where you are, love.” He whispered back.**

**The silver-haired woman spoke. “I’m sorry, Thomas. I tried to call you, but you didn’t answer… I assumed you were out.”**

**“No, mum, I was just a little busy with Olivia, here.”**

**Tom’s mom was very obviously embarrassed.  “I was just bringing some groceries.” She said as she looked down to the two large brown paper bags that were in her arms. “I even brought you some of those chocolates that you fancy.”**

**Tom huffed. “I can’t have chocolates, Mum. I’m on a diet.”**

**“A diet?” She asked.**

**“ _Yes_ , mum, for a role. Can you possibly come back later?”**

**Livi cringed. She could feel Tom’s cock pulsate inside of her while he was having a conversation with his mother. _Oh, this was pretty fucking awkward._  **

**“I think that’s a good idea. Introduce me to your company and I’ll make my leave.”**

**Tom rolled his eyes. His mum was always a stickler for manners. “Mum, this is Olivia. Olivia this is my mum, Diana.”**

**“Nice to meet you, Olivia.”**

**Olivia peeked her head around the edge of the blanket. “Lovely to meet you too.” _Now, can you leave so I can continue fucking your son… please?_**

**“I’ll expect to see you both at my home for Christmas next week.” Diana smiled. “Oh, and I’ll just take these chocolates back with me, I don’t want you to be tempted to eat them, dear.” With a wink, she was gone, locking the door behind her.**

**“Tom, what the hell?”**

**“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. Mum has a key… sometimes she leaves groceries or other things while I'm away.”**

**“That was the worst possible timing.” Livi laughed as she pushed herself back up to sit on Tom, and began rocking back and forth again. They were both able to find their climaxes quickly, even with the distraction of their guest.**

**Livi moved to lay beside him, resting her face on his chest. “Your mother is going to hate me now, you know that right?”**

**“Now, why would you say a thing like that?”**

**“Um… well, she just saw my boobs… and my tattoos… _and_ me on top of her son, _moaning_ nonetheless… gah, I’m so embarrassed.”**

**“Oh, don’t be embarrassed. If it helps your feelings, she saw my boobs too.” Tom quipped.**

**Livi laughed loudly. “You’re such a nut.”**

**“Really, darling, it’s fine. Mum’s not very conservative. It’ll all be alright.”**

**“She said that expects to see us both at her home for Christmas.”**

**Tom nodded. “That, she did. Don’t feel pressured though, love.”**

**After a few little moments Livi gave Tom a big squeeze. “Well, it looks like I’ll be celebrating the holiday with your family this week.”**

**“Really? You’ve decided to come to mum’s?” Tom asked hopefully.**

**Olivia bashfully nodded. She would be celebrating a holiday with a man’s family… for the first time, ever. She knew that she would have to take big steps like these if she wanted to pursue this relationship, which she really, _really_ , did. **

**“I’m so happy, darling! I know that they’ll love you, just as I do.”**

**Olivia sighed… she hoped so too.**


End file.
